Cuddy's Choice
by Houddy
Summary: Dr. Cuddy has been given an ultimatum. Now she must decide if Dr. Gregory House is really worth 100,000,000. Perhaps there is something he can do to persuade her. I fixed the problem with Chap 4. 4&5 are now new chapters
1. Chapter 1

Cuddy's Choice

Dr. Cuddy was sitting at her desk. Her door was shut, but she could catch a nurse rushing past now and then. Things had gotten so out of hand. The Board meeting was over. Dr. Wilson was gone.

She couldn't help but feel responsible for that. She should have backed him up, but if she had, she would probably be packing her bags too. She needed more time, but that was something Vogler wouldn't allow her. He wanted a decision first thing tomorrow morning. She had to come up with something, and fast.

"Dr. Cuddy," a deep voice interrupted her thoughts. It was the last voice she wanted to hear. He walked in and sat down.

"Mr. Vogler," she replied, acknowledging his presence with the least possible effort.

"Have you decided to accept my deal yet?" There was a certainty in his voice that she did not care for. There was something in his eyes, too, that really bothered her. A sense that no matter how hard she fought, he would squish her like a bug.

"I need a little more time, Mr. Vogler." Vogler had given the hospital $100,000,000. He now wanted Dr. House out, or he would take back the money. She had no intention of accepting his deal, but she had to find a way to convince the board that one doctor was more important to the hospital than all that money.

"The clock is ticking Dr. Cuddy." Vogler left, an evil grin on his round face. She fought the urge to throw her desk clock at him, but she lost the fight. Just as the clock was about to smash through the door, Dr. Wilson swung it open and jumped out of the way.

"Bad day?" he asked, picking up the clock and placing it back on her desk.

"What are you still doing here?" As soon as she said it, she wanted to take it back. She didn't mean it the way it sounded.

"I just finished talking to House." She could tell by his tone, that it hadn't gone well.

"I am so sorry, James." She rarely ever used his first name. "I don't know what I am doing."

"It's OK Lisa. I know how difficult this must be for you right now. If only House had made this one small compromise…But no, that was too much to ask." The anger Wilson felt was coming through.

Cuddy walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of single malt scotch. She poured two glasses and handed one to Dr. Wilson. "I promised him a long time ago that I would protect him. I just don't think I can do it this time." She sat down next to Wilson and took a drink.

"Do you really think he still deserves it?" Wilson took a gulp, trying to bury his bitter disappointment.

"yes. Sometimes I want to throw him off the roof myself, but I owe him."

"You don't owe him anything. You saved his life. "

"Drinking without me!" Both of them jumped at the sound of Dr. House's voice. Neither of them had heard him come in, and both wondered how long he had been there.

Dr. House looked at them carefully. He had interrupted something important. He knew exactly what they were talking about and had jumped in before things got too heavy. He headed over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink. "Is this a private party, or can anyone join?"

"Would you leave if we said it was?" Wilson snapped.

"No," was House's terse answer.

Wilson made an exaggerated move to look at his watch. "Julie will kill me if I am late again." He took a final swig and walked out. Cuddy quickly emptied what was left of her glass and held it up to House to refill.

After Wilson left, House sat down next to Dr. Cuddy. They sat silently for what seemed like an eternity. House had a lot of things he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure just how to put them. Cuddy looked like she was lost in some deep and terrible thoughts.

Finally House broke the silence. "You don't owe me anything," he said softly.

Cuddy drained her glass again and walked out. She did not want to deal with him right now.

The night was a long one. Lisa Cuddy hadn't been this restless in a long time. There was a time when she would not have hesitated to take $100,000,000 for her hospital. That was before she met Dr. Gregory House. A small smile crossed her face as she thought of him. She shook it off. She had to be sensible. This was no time to let her feelings get in her way.

The hospital was counting on her. She had already made so many plans for that money. A new wing, better equipment, she could hire more staff. There were so many possibilities. Then there was House. He was just one man. Why was she even debating this? The answer was obvious.

The phone rang. She picked it up and said a half conscience "hello." She recognized the voice on the other end immediately.

"Hello, Cuddy," House said in a sing song voice.

"Don't you ever sleep?" She sat up a little in her bed. It had been a long time since she received one of House's late night calls.

"Without you? Never!" He jested. She rolled her eyes in the dark. "I heard about the board meeting," he continued, wishing he could see the look on her face after that last barb.

"And…" She was too tired for this.

"And, how dare you not vote for me to stay!" Although his voice was mocking, she could hear a tinge of pain in it.

"I needed more time." She paused. She felt she needed to say more. "I won't let you down." Oh, she shouldn't have said that. It sounded so pathetic. The great thing about her relationship with House was that they didn't get into all the mushy stuff. They didn't have to talk about their feelings. That was what Cameron was there for.

There was a long silence. She was kicking herself for saying something so stupid. "I am devising a plan," she tried to get back on track.

"Is it a diabolical plan?" House asked. She could almost hear him rubbing his hands together and making a fiendish grin. "Does it involve you in a tight black cat suit and a mask? Stiletto heels digging into Darth Vogler's gut?"

"You wish" she answered, laughing to herself. "It actually involves saving your ass. I don't know why I would do such a thing, but there it is."

"You just can't resist my ass. What are you going to ogle if my ass is taken out of the hospital?"

"I think Foreman's been working out." She was still joking, but he had hit a cord. She couldn't stay in that hospital without him. As much as he drove her nuts at times, she would miss these little exchanges. There was always Wilson. As soon as she thought it, she remembered he was gone.

"Switching to the dark meat, huh?" House chided.

"House," she protested. She knew he was just kidding, in that way he does, but she couldn't help but feel like she should protest. She was a bit like the mother to his spoiled little brat. She had to keep him on the straight and narrow.

"Whatever you do, Cuddy, know that I will never forgive you if I loose my job." She couldn't tell if he was joking or not. "Now, come down here and open the door!"

"What?" She sat up. What was he talking about? The man was certifiable. Just then, she heard her doorbell ring.

Cuddy looked over at the alarm clock. It was just past midnight. What could he possibly want at that hour? Half asleep, she climbed out of bed and put on a robe. It was long and silk, and matched the silk pajamas she wore. If this was a joke, she was going to kill House, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had to find out what he was up to. So she headed downstairs.

She paused when she reached the door. It wasn't too late to turn back. Maybe it was a joke. Knowing House, anything could be on the other side of the door. She saw the shape of a head pressing against the glass. He was trying to look inside. "Are you going to open it," the head spoke, "or do you have that buff Dr. Foreman with you? I thought you penciled me in tonight, but if it is his night, I can come back tomorrow." He was saying this all much too loudly for that hour of night. What were the neighbors going to think?

She undid the safety latch and pulled open the door. The first think she saw was House's devilish grin. He was definitely up to no good. She was having second thoughts about letting him in, but it was too late. He brushed past her, a little closer than was necessary, but she didn't try to step back.

He placed a paper bag on the side table in the living room, and removed his coat, flinging it carelessly on the couch. Cuddy went and moved it to a coat hanger by the door. She liked things just so. He was always making messes just to annoy her.

House was removing something from the brown bag. She saw that it was a bottle of Scotch, her favorite. She smiled slightly. He remembered her favorite brand after all these years. He saw her watching him pour out to glasses and said "I thought this could help."

"It couldn't hurt," she replied, taking the glass he held toward her.

"I bet if we put our heads together we can come up with a plan." He walked over to the couch and sat down. Looking up at her he continued, "I still think the catsuit has potential."

"I'm sure you do," she said weakly, and took a sip. It was too late for a visit, yet she knew she couldn't throw him out of her House. It had been so long since he had been there, and after tomorrow, he may never talk to her again.

House was never one for small talk, so he cut right to the chase. "What are you going to do tomorrow?" She knew he had ulterior motives for coming here. She should have known exactly what they were, but she had momentarily forgotten about Vogler and the board meeting she had first thing in the morning, and the decision she must make.

She paused for a long time. That was a very good question, and she really didn't have an answer yet. She couldn't think about it anymore. She took one long swig of scotch. "I'm going to start by asking you to join me upstairs." She couldn't fight it anymore. She had to take a chance.

"I thought you'd never ask." House drained his glass and headed for the stairs. Cuddy was already half way up. He stood and watched her, appreciating the view.

She felt his eyes on her as she walked upstairs, but she didn't dare look back. It had been a long time since he'd been in her room. She kept telling herself this was not a good idea, that this could change their relationship, that she could loose him forever. It was hard to know his motives. They had such a good friendship now, something they both cherished, though neither would admit it. Did she really want to risk all that for one night of passion. Despite these thoughts, she kept walking to the bedroom door, House following behind.

She felt butterflies in her stomach. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. She kept reminding herself that she was a grown, successful, intelligent woman. He was just a man. There was nothing to be nervous about.

He followed her to the bed, where they both sat down somewhat awkwardly. He must be nervous too, she thought. Their last time together hadn't gone very well, and that was when they decided it was best to just be friends.

"I do think you are trying to seduce me Dr. Cuddy" he chided in a mock Dustin Hoffman voice.

"Oh, shut up," she said, taking the cane out of his hand and placing it against the night table.

"I thought you liked the hard wood," House smirked.

"I do", she replied, placing her hand high on his leg.

They looked into each others eyes, looking for some assurance that this was what they both wanted. Then, unanimous in their decision, they fell slowly back onto the bed, their lips meeting on the way down.

Things were getting intense. They were both lost in the moment when House let out a cry of pain. He doubled over, gripping his bad leg. She knew exactly what had happened. It wasn't the first time. After Stacy had left him, a few years after the surgery which kept him in so much pain, former lovers House and Cuddy had gotten together for a short fling. They had never been able to consummate it, because of the excruciating pain he felt whenever he put too much pressure on his leg. As opposed to the constant pain he was already in.

As House tried to get through the initial burst of pain, Cuddy reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bottle of pills she knew he always kept there. She was trying to open it in the dark, knowing House would not want light shed on his pain. No one would ever see him like this. He wouldn't allow it.

Cuddy was taking too long. House reached out and grabbed the bottle from her. The cap that she had just finished loosening stayed in her hand. House tilted his head back and poured most of the bottle into his mouth. Cuddy couldn't tell how many pills he had taken. It wasn't the whole bottle, as she could hear some pills rattling around in the bottle, but it was far more than she would have given him. She realized he must be in more pain than she could ever imagine.

A wave of guilt swept over her. She still felt, deep in her heart, that this was somehow her fault. If she had handled his case herself, she might have been able to diagnose him sooner, or she would have listened to him when he tried to explain what was wrong. She could have left his leg alone when he was in that coma, not told Stacy about the alternate surgery, and let him…what, let him die? She was till convinced that, had he gotten what he wanted, and not had the surgery, he would have died, or been in this kind of pain the rest of his life. She had to believe she had done the right thing. It still didn't make the guilt go away completely.

The pills seemed to do their magic, returning House to his usual snarky self. "My God, Cuddy," he exclaimed. "Why do you have to be so rough!"

Her guilt was slowly replaced by relief. He was back. "I thought you liked it rough," she said, giving him a fake punch in the stomach. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. "I think you'd better be on top," He whispered in her ear.

The shrill cry of an alarm clock pierced the still morning air. Cuddy rolled over and whacked it. The room was quite once again, except for the heavy breathing coming from beside her in the bed. She rolled over and found herself staring into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen.

"What's for breakfast?" House asked chipperly.

Cuddy thought for a moment. What could she make for breakfast? Then she remembered there was something she had to do this morning. She looked into House's eyes, hoping it was something she had to do to him. It wasn't. It was something bad, something she'd been putting off. Suddenly she heard Vogler's voice in her head, "the clock is ticking, Dr. Cuddy." A shiver ran down her spine. Oh, how she hated that man.

"I'd like pancakes," House seemed to say to no one in particular. "With strawberry's if you have them. If not, then strawberry jam will do, though it's never quite as good, you know." He was rambling.

"There's a Denny's down the street," She answered, getting out of bed. She didn't make it before House pulled her back in.

"It's cold out there," he said, kissing her neck, and sending a shiver of pleasure through her body.

"I have to go," she said, struggling to get up again, "or have you forgotten that you have left it to me to save the hospital and you job."

He pulled her back down again, this time running his hands through her thick, dark hair. "I think you have your priorities mixed up, Cuddy. Shouldn't it be save my job then the hospital?"

"Only you would think that House." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and broke free. Before he could protest, she disappeared into the bathroom. When she emerged again, after a shower, he was gone. "He can move fast when he wants to" she thought to herself and got dressed.

The hospital was quiet this morning. Word had spread quickly about the board meeting. It was hard to keep secrets at Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. Cuddy wondered if she and House would be able to keep last night a secret.

She rushed into her office and shut the door. She didn't want to talk to anybody today. She still didn't know what she was going to do and needed some time to think. She looked at her desk clock. House should be in the hospital by now. He was probably in his office. She thought about checking up on him. Then she thought better of it. That wasn't a good idea. Besides, she was supposed to be coming up with a plan to stop Vogler.

The time had come, the meeting was about to begin. She didn't want to get there too early. She knew she would be bombarded with questions from the other board members. Besides, seeing Dr. Wilson's empty seat was not something she was looking forward to.

They always use to arrive early to the meetings, Drs. Wilson and Cuddy, and share jokes and stories, and, mostly, talk about House. She already missed him. The first thing she was going to do if she succeeded in getting rid of Vogler was to call Wilson and give him his old job back.

"Well, hello there, Dr. Cuddy." Voglers voice couldn't help but grate through her. If she never heard it again, it would be too soon. But he would not be silenced so easily. He continued to speak. "Are you ready to have a little fun?" He sounded way to happy given the circumstances.

"This is your idea of fun?" She asked incredulously.

"Only if you put up a fight. Or have finally come to your senses?"

"Oh, don't worry Eddie, I have." She brushed past him and into the board room. That felt good. She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt just now. She was about to make the biggest gamble of her life.


	2. Chapter 2

Vogler was all pomp and hot air. He made his threats, and talked about all the good his money was going to do for the hospital. Dr Cuddy was trying hard to hold her tongue. She had to time this just right. The rest of the board was ready and willing to take the money. They didn't have the same sense of duty to House that she had.

Cuddy finally saw her chance. This was it. One chance to make her case. She talked to them about what would have the most impact on them. Not about how valuable House was to the hospital. They weren't going to think he was worth $100,000,000. She was having a hard enough time convincing herself of that. Instead she told them of a future where Vogler was in total control of the hospital. Where any one of them could be his next victim. This seemed to be working. She took a quick look around the room and saw that they were listening, considering her point.

When she finished, she got up and left. She didn't think she could sit there while these people decided her fate. She wouldn't allow herself to feel she had completely turned them around. She knew she was asking a lot of them. She also didn't want to see Vogler's face if he won. She didn't think she could bear that.

She made it to her office without running into anyone. That was good. She was in no mood to talk about it. She would bury herself in her work and try to forget what was going on only a few feet away from her.

After staring at the same piece of paper for about 5 minutes, she realized she wasn't going to get anything done here. She packed up and headed out the door. She ran into Dr. Finkel in the hallway. She had been Cuddy's biggest challenge. Dr. Finkel always followed the money, and Cuddy knew that she would be the hardest one to win over.

Dr. Finkel had a scowl on her face as she headed toward Cuddy. "I hope you're happy," she boomed. She was a large woman with a large voice to match. "You just cost the hospital $100,000,000. Personally I think they should take it out of your salary for the next 1000 years." She huffed off. The floor shook slightly with each pounding foot.

Dr. Cuddy let out a great sigh of relief. The fight wasn't completely over. Now she would have to prove to the board, and the whole hospital, that they were better off without the money. This was going to require all the PR skills she had honed in her years as hospital administrator. At least she could go home tonight knowing she had a job to go to in the morning.

On her way out of the building, Cuddy walked past House's office. She wasn't looking forward to seeing him just now, but she kept going. Before the door came into view, she could hear sounds of laughter and merriment coming from his office. News travels fast, she thought. She even heard the sounds of Dr. Wilson's voice. He must have come to wait out the verdict with his best friend, she thought. She was happy to have him back in the hospital. She would officially offer him his job back as soon as possible.

"Dr. Cuddy," House called out to her as she stood in the doorway. "The man of the hour." He held up his glass in a toast. Someone handed her a glass of champagne, she didn't know who it was. She emptied the glass in one gulp. It felt good, sliding down her throat, sending a warm wave through her body.

House was still talking, making some comment about her bringing Vogler down. She wasn't really listening. She was watching him carefully, as though she'd never seen him before.

He looked so confident. He wasn't relieved. He was never worried about it. He knew Dr. Cuddy would take care of everything, the way she always did. She felt resentment creeping into her mind. Wilson had been fired because of him. She had nearly lost her job for him, and there he sat, looking so pleased with himself.

She felt an overwhelming urge to hit him, hard. In that moment she hated him more than she'd ever hated anyone. She knew the feeling would pass. She'd never been able to stay mad at Gregory House for too long. He had a hold on her, and he knew it. Damn him, she thought, and with one last, bitter comment, she turned and left.

She was halfway down the hall before she heard the clicking of his cane. "Wait," he called. She kept going. He was the last person she wanted to talk to right now.


	3. Chapter 3

House snuck into the hospital. He didn't want to see Dr. Cuddy. She was furious with him. He'd never seem her this mad before. He had done many things to piss her off in the past, but she had always gotten over it. He wasn't so sure she would get over this one.

Dr. Wilson caught him up in the elevator. "Hey, House." He said cheerily.

"Hey," House replied, less cheerily.

"Don't worry, House. She'll forgive you. She always does. Look, I got fired and I forgave you." Wilson was trying to cheer his friend up, but he knew it was no use.

"You are the forgiving type. She isn't. I bet I get extra clinic hours." He was trying to lighten the mood with a little joke, but it wasn't working.

The elevator doors opened, and Dr. Cuddy walked in. Wilson glanced at her, then at House. "Oh," he said nervously, "this is my floor." With that, he scurried out of the elevator. He was not about to get in the middle of that fight.

Drs House and Cuddy stood in silence while the elevator rose higher. Cuddy took a deep breath, reached out and pushed the emergency stop button. The elevator came to an abrupt stop.

She turned and faced House, fury on her face. "Do you have any idea what you put me through?" She was raging.

"I did what I thought was right." It was all House could say.

"You always do what you think is right, for you." She placed heavy emphasis on the last two words. "You don't give a rat's arse what's right for anyone else. You could have handled things differently. You could have…"

He'd had enough. He knew she was mad, but he felt he had to speak his peace. "I could have what? I could have sold out one of my doctors. I could have fired someone? Well, I couldn't. Remember, I tried. Vogler wouldn't let me."

"Vogler was being an arse. That's no reason for you to be one too."

"I tried to play nice. It didn't work. Vogler had to go. If I didn't give that speech, then none of this would have happened, and Vogler would still be here telling you how to run your hospital."

Anger flashed in her eyes. She knew he was right, and she hated him for it. "I would have handled Vogler." She growled.

"Really, because you weren't doing such a great job of it as far as I could see."

"How dare you question the way I do my job. Do you have any idea what I have to do? Do you know how many compromises I had to make to keep you here?"

House was silent. He knew that Cuddy would do just about anything for him, and he never showed her the slightest appreciation. But she knew who he was, probably better than anyone. She chose to protect him. He'd never asked her to.

"This is all pointless now." She was settling down. She had let her anger out. "What is done is done. Please, don't make me regret my decision."

"It sounds like you already do."

She couldn't help it. Without thinking her arm raised into the air, and her hand fell hard on House's cheek. A large "smack" filled the air. House fell back against the wall. She had hit him harder than she meant to. Suddenly she saw how fragile he was. She put out her hand to help him regain his balance.

"Feel better," he said, holding a hand to his sore cheek.

"Yes, actually, I do." She looked at him. He looked like a hurt dog. All the anger was gone now. "Are you OK?"

"That's a hell of a swing you've got." He was smiling. He knew he'd deserved it, and he was glad it was over with. One thing about Cuddy that he admired was her ability to confront her problems and get past them. She was angry at him, she said her piece, and now she could move on. Not him. When House was betrayed, he held a grudge. It had destroyed his relationship with Stacy. He wasn't going to let it destroy his friendship with Cuddy.

"I was on the softball team in high school." She shook her hand. The palm stung from the impact of the slap. "You have one hard head."

"Actually, I've got two." An enormous grin spread across his face.

Cuddy shook her head, laughing. She could never stay mad at him for long. "You are unbelievable." She said, still shaking her head in disbelieve.

"I can prove it." He moved closer to her.

"You're impossible!" She pushed the button that started the elevator up again, and shortly the doors slid open. They both walked off the elevator and went their separate ways.


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't take long for things at PPTH to get back to normal. With Vogler gone, Cuddy could finally get back to her job. She hadn't realized how much of her time was taken up playing hostess to Vogler, and running interference between him and her staff.

Cuddy locked the door and turned on some music. She was in for a long night. She poured herself a glass of water and sat down. Everything was laid out in piles. She started in on the legal issues. This pile was taken up mostly by complaints against Dr. House.

Cuddy sighed deeply. She might as well dive in. She wondered what House had done now. There were all the usual complaints. "Dr. House threatened my mother," "Dr. House made my son cry," "Dr. House lied to us." She'd heard them all. Fortunately, most of these complaints had already resolved themselves. Once House cured a patient, the complaints had a tendency to go away. It was hard to sue someone who just saved your life.

She put a couple of lawsuits to the side. Let her high priced lawyers sort that mess out. Her mind started to wonder as she read another general complaint. She was thinking about House. Things were changing between them. It was too soon to tell if it was for the better, but she was hopeful. She missed him. They used to be very close, a long time ago.

A smile spread across her face as she thought of their last night together. It was amazing how easy it had been to fall back into the intimate aspects of their relationship together. She remembered exactly what he liked, and he remembered her favorite things too.

She'd forgotten what a good kisser he was, so passionate and urgent. His hard body pressed against hers. He must be working out. He had the body of a man half his age. She couldn't see House as the workout type. He just must be one of those people blessed with high metabolism, and good genes.

She laughed suddenly. A picture had popped into her head. It was an image of House wearing a pair of tight black biker shorts, a sweat band around his head, pumping away on a treadmill. No, he was definitely not the workout type, though he did fill out those biker shorts quite nicely.

The phone rang her out of her rather pleasant fantasy. She picked it up, trying not to smile at the thoughts that were filling her head. The smile was erased as she heard the voice at the other end say hello.

"Stacy?" She couldn't believe her ears. She hadn't heard from her ex-friend in ages.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need your help." Her voice was wavering. It sounded almost frightened. Not something Cuddy was used to hearing from the hardened lawyer.

"What's wrong?" She and Stacy had once been very good friends. She couldn't help but be concerned.

"James said you might be able to help me. I need House's help with a case." She sounded like she was measuring each word carefully before she spoke.

"Why don't you just ask House?" Cuddy knew that was a stupid question. House didn't ever want to speak to Stacy again. She had left him, and he was still deeply hurt by it.

"It's complicated." Stacy went on to tell Cuddy all about her husband Mark, and the mysterious illness he had. No other doctor seemed able to help, but Stacy seemed convinced that House would be able to figure it out.

Cuddy did not want to get involved in this mess. Last time she'd tried to help it ended in disaster. "You have to talk to him. He is the only one who can give you an answer. If he says he is willing to take the case, I won't do anything to stop it, if that's what you are worried about."

There was no small talk, no catching up. Stacy said thank you, and they both hung up. Cuddy leaned back in her chair. She wasn't going to get any work done tonight. She got up and poured herself a scotch from her private bar.

Instead of going back to her desk, she went and sat on the couch. She stretched her legs across it, and leaned her head against the arm. She took a long, slow sip of scotch and let it slide down her throat, soothing all the tension in her muscles as it wormed a path to her stomach.

Stacy was coming back. That was not something she was ready to deal with. She thought about the conversation they'd just had. She wanted to tell Stacy to stay away. It was just like Stacy to come back to town just as something was growing between her and House.

Cuddy lay on the couch. The room was silent. She had turned off the music to answer the phone and never turned it back on again. Her mind was racing. Having Stacy back was going to bring up a lot of bad memories for everyone. She was afraid that the fragile relationship she now had with House would shatter under the weight of those memories. She wasn't sure he had fully forgiven her for breaking up his relationship with Stacy.

Eventually Cuddy slipped into a restless sleep. The tears that had been welling in her eyes slowly trickled down her cheeks as the memories of the past haunted her sleep. Everything she had wanted was just within her grasp, and here comes Stacy to snatch it all away from her again. She sobbed silently as she drifted in and out of sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Stacy hadn't wasted any time. A few days after the phone call, Mark was resting comfortably in a private room at the hospital. Cuddy was somewhat surprised that House had taken the case, but then, Stacy could be very persuasive when she wanted to.

"Hi Lisa." Stacy was sitting in the waiting room, staring at her cup of coffee.

"How's Mark?"

"Gregg says he's stable. Can we talk?" She sounded ominous. Cuddy was certain she wasn't going to like the outcome of this talk, but she agreed and led Stacy to her office.

"Can I get you anything?" Cuddy felt like she needed a good stiff drink, but it was only 9am, and she didn't want to drink alone. Stacy declined, so Cuddy poured herself a glass of water.

"I feel like everything has been turned on it's side. I had to quit my job to come here…" she let her words trail off, hoping Cuddy would take the bait.

"You really love him a lot, don't you?" Cuddy hadn't taken the bait. She had an agenda of her own. She needed to know that Stacy was no longer her competition. It had taken her years to finally admit her feelings for House, and she didn't want to get pushed back to friend status so soon.

"Of course I do." Stacy let her temper show. She was trying to play it cool, the grieving wife. She did love Mark and she would do anything to help him get better. That's why she'd asked to talk to Cuddy. She wanted her old job back, so Mark could stay at the hospital and House could watch out for him.

"I'm sorry, that was rude." Cuddy realized she'd overstepped a line. "He seems like a remarkable man."

"He is." Stacy's mind was racing. Cuddy had gotten her off track. This should have been much easier. She needed a way to swing the conversation back around to her agenda. "Mark's family is so happy to see him, even though it took his getting sick to make it happen."

"He has family here?" Cuddy hadn't expected that.

"Yes, his mother and a couple of sisters. They have been here every day since he got here. They miss him a lot."

"You know," Cuddy was about to say something she felt she may regret, but she was feeling generous. If Stacy loved her husband as much as she seemed to, then Cuddy had nothing to worry about, and if House went running back to Stacy, then Cuddy never really stood a chance anyway. "My legal staff has been a bit anorexic lately. I really could use you back on the team. I mean, it would give Mark a chance to recuperate here, with his family and you nearby."

Stacy gave herself a mental pat on the back. It had worked. "Thank you, Lisa. That is really very generous. I really would love to, but I need to know it's OK with House before I accept."

Damn her, Cuddy thought, she's going to make it all my idea, and if House hates it, he will blame me. "I will ask him and let you know." She tried to stay cool. could she let herself get trapped into this? House was going to hate her for this one.

Cuddy knew she was going to have to tell House, and the sooner the better. Even though she wanted to get it over with, she avoided House all day. It wasn't until he was walking out the door that she finally worked up the nerve to ask him.

He took it well. She thought he would protest, argue, give her an emphatic NO. He did none of those things. He said it was fine, and then he walked away. She watched him go. She wished he had argued, yelled, protested, said anything. His quiet resignation was a bad sign. It meant he was giving up, again.

Over the next few days, Cuddy watched helplessly as House descended deeper and deeper into depression. She knew he wouldn't let her do anything to help him, but she wasn't going to just sit around and watch him fall apart. This was all her fault. She never should have let Stacy come back. She had hoped it would do House some good, that he would see Stacy had moved on, and it would give him the strength to move on. Unfortunately, it had the exact opposite effect.

"You wanted to see me?" Dr. Wilson was standing in the door to her office. She had left him a message to come by as soon as he could. He was the only other person who had been with House the first time Stacy left. Together they would try to get House through Stacy's return.

"It's about House?" She sounded sad. There was none of her usual spunk.

"I thought it might be." He sat down, knowing this was going to be a very long talk.

"He is falling apart."

"I've seen it too. He was late three days this week."

"Have you seen him today?"

"I tried calling him, but he isn't answering."

"I can just imagine him sitting alone in the dark, listening to that sad music of his."

They both spoke. "You should go see him after work." They laughed nervously.

"You're his best friend." Cuddy explained. "You could talk to him. Get him through this."

"You can do more for him than just talk." Wilson smiled.

Cuddy blushed. "Did he tell you about that?"

"He didn't have to. I know you both too well to not have figured it out. He needs more than a talking to Lisa. He needs someone to comfort him. He might not admit it, but he does. He needs someone who will understand what he's going through, and won't treat him like an invalid."

Cuddy fell silent. She wanted to comfort House. She wanted to get him through this, but she was afraid. She had already messed things up by letting Stacy stay. What if she messed up again? "Can't you go talk to him?"

There was a pleading in her voice that Wilson simply couldn't ignore. "I will try."

House sat in the dark. The sad sound of a violin cried out from his iPod speakers. A half empty bottle of Scotch sat on the table next to an empty pill bottle. He would have to go to work tomorrow and get a refill.

Why had she come back? Stacy was almost out of his system, and then she comes waltzing back into his life. It was typical of her. She had always wanted what she wanted, when she wanted it, and damn anyone who got in her way. He used to love that about her. He still did.

He didn't want to love her anymore, but when he heard her voice again, everything he felt came flooding back. She respected him the way few people ever have. She never once tried to force him to be happy when he wasn't, or take him out when he wanted to stay in.

She was as independent as he was, maybe even more so. Their romance happened quickly. So quickly he didn't even see it coming. He wasn't sure either of them knew what was happening. The flame burned fast and bright.

House took a chug from the bottle of whiskey. It was almost empty. He would have to get up and get another bottle soon. He looked down at his leg. There was a time when he ran the lacrosse field like a champion. He was athletic, he was energetic. Now he was just a broken old man, and he blamed Stacy. So why did he still have feelings for her? She broke him, and then she discarded him.

House banged his cane on the ground. "DAMN!" He shouted. Why did she come back? What did she really want?

Wilson pulled up outside House's apartment. He sat in the car several minutes before turning off the ignition. This wasn't going to be easy, but he had to do something. When Stacy walked out on House it had devastated him. House didn't trust many people, for fear of getting hurt, and when Stacy left, it caused him to shut down completely.

Wilson just got out of his car when he heard a loud voice come from inside the apartment. "DAMN!" It was undeniably the voice of House. Wilson sped up. He stopped at the door. He was having second thoughts. Should he knock? He decided to jump in the deep end, and he would worry about the sharks when they started circling.

House didn't answer his knock. Wilson tried again, still nothing. "House, open up. I know you're in there." House was not responding, so Wilson went to step two. He had a spare key to House's apartment. It was for emergencies, and he thought that this qualified.

The apartment was dark, the shades pulled down, but Wilson could make out the outline of his friend sitting on the couch. Wordlessly, Wilson walked into the room and sat down. He picked up the bottle on the table, saw that it was empty and got up to get a new one. He opened it and poured out two glasses, handing one to House.

House took the glass but didn't look at Wilson. "So, she's back." Wilson didn't want to beat around the bush. He knew House didn't like small talk.

"Yep." House took a big swig of alcohol. He let it slid down his throat and warm his bones.

"Cuddy said you were OK with it." This wasn't entirely true. Cuddy had said House SAID he was OK with it, but that she didn't believe him. Wilson didn't want to get all he said she said, though, so he kept it simple.

"Yep." House was obviously not in a talkative mood.

"She also said she thought you were a liar."

"Well, Cuddy sure does say a lot." House finally looked up. He drained his glass and poured another. "You didn't happen to bring me a refill?" He picked up the empty bottle and shook it.

"Afraid not." Wilson wouldn't have, even if he knew House needed in. Pills and alcohol were not a safe combo.

"Then why are you here?" House looked at him for the first time since Wilson entered the room. His eyes were bloodshot and his face more scruffy than usual.

"You look like crap." Wilson commented.

"So you came to give me a makeover?" It was a small glimmer of the real House, but there wasn't the usual spark in his eye.

"Sort of." Wilson finally finished his drink, and poured another. If misery loved company, then he was going to stick to House like glue. He was in for the long haul now. "Cuddy's worried about you."

"She worries too much."

"I'm worried about you."

"Oh, well, in that case." House drained his glass again. Wilson wondered just how much his friend had already drunk.

"House?" Wilson didn't know what to say. If House didn't want to talk, he wouldn't talk. All Wilson could do was be here in case House decided he did want to talk.

"If Cuddy's so worried, why didn't she come here herself?" House sounded somewhat belligerent.

This was the last thing Wilson expected. He didn't know what to say, and just made strange movements with his mouth, hoping to trigger it into action. "Well, she…I don't know."

"What, you didn't hold a meeting, talk about it?" He puts on fake Cuddy voice. "Oh Jimmy please help him. I just don't know what to do?" He stopped the imitation. "That is not Cuddy. She sent you here in her place. Why?"

House was suddenly very alert and Wilson wondered if he'd only been pretending to be wasted. Wilson wasn't sure if he should talk, but he did. House needed to hear the truth. "She is scared. She thinks you are going to blame her for all this. She thinks it's her fault."

"Her fault?" House was incredulous. "How can this be her fault? Did she make Mark sick? That makes no sense. Why would she do that?"

Wilson was tired, and he was becoming slightly buzzed. He was loosing the ability to edit his thoughts. "She's in love with you, you idiot. She is afraid she's going to loose you again."

House was stunned. He had always kidded Cuddy about liking him, but it was all in fun, wasn't it? Sure, they had been intimate, but that was purely a physical thing. She was hot, he wasn't blind. And she was quite, skilled. He smiled to himself, hoping the dark of the room would mask it from Wilson.

"Did you hear me House?" Wilson had dropped the bomb, and now he was going to run with it. He didn't know when it would explode, and what the fallout would be, but he was a little too drunk to care. "She's crazy about you. Why do you think she puts up with all your crap?" Wilson's lips were getting looser and looser, as was his brain. "She wants to marry you; she wants to have your babies." He blanched as he pictured what House's children would be like.

"Shut up." House grumbled. He needed time to process what Wilson had said. He was usually very perceptive. How did he miss this? Cuddy was in love with him? No way; but….no, can't be.

Wilson realized he'd struck a nerve. "You like her too, don't you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. This is Cuddy we're talking about. I can't like Cuddy?"

"Why not?" Wilson thought it was a fair question.

"It's…Cuddy."

"She's not an it, she's a she, and very much so." Wilson pictured her in his head. Yeah, she was definitely a woman.

"But, she's still Cuddy."

"Not if you marry her, then she'd be House. Two House's. Wow, that's crazy." Wilson hadn't noticed the last two glasses of scotch he'd drunk. They had slid down his throat when he wasn't looking. Now he was far beyond buzzed. He was entering that happy place where everything seems funny. "Hello, House, yes House. You've reached the House residence, the doctors House can't come to the phone…" He stopped when the pill bottle hit him in the head. "What'd ya do that for?" He rubbed the spot where the bottle made contact with his scull.

"I said shut up." When Wilson had first arrived on his doorstep, House didn't want the company, but now he was glad his friend had come over, even if he was driving him nuts.

Before Wilson arrived, House had been well aware that he was slipping into a deep depression. He could feel it closing in around him. He had felt helpless to stop it. He wasn't sure he'd wanted to stop it.

There was a comfortable familiarity in his depression. It was like a warm blanket that protected him from the cold. He understood that it really wasn't about Stacy. He hated her for what she'd done, and House was not a forgiving man. It was just that she brought with her so many painful memories. Memories of the worst event in his life, but also memories of some of his happiest days. His memories were riddled with regret, and it was that regret that had pushed him into the darkness.

Once the darkness came, it blotted out the present, and held him warm in the clutches of the past. He forgot about his friends, his work, everything that kept him going. All he wanted to do was linger in his mistakes, and punish himself for every one of them. He didn't want help, he wanted to stay in this dark hole forever.

"House," Wilson's voice brought him out of his own head. "I don't think I can make it home tonight." House looked a Wilson for a moment and saw him swaying slightly. He had had way too much to drink, and it would not be good for him to drive home. It wouldn't be the first time Wilson had slept on the couch. House kind of hoped it wouldn't be the last. He didn't know what he would do without Wilson's friendship. It was one of the few good things he had in his life, not that he would ever tell Wilson that.

House groaned as he lifted himself off the couch. It felt like he'd been there for years. Every bone in his body ached from inactivity. He gave a long stretch before reaching for his cane.

"See you in the morning." He told Wilson after helping him settle in.

"Night, House," Wilson mumbled into the pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

Wilson was gone by the time House woke up the next morning, but he had left House with a lot to think about. As House went about his morning ritual his mind was racing. He had been so preoccupied with Stacy's return that he hadn't really spent much time with Cuddy.

His mind wandered back to that night, just before Vogler left. He hadn't really intended to make love to her that night. At least he didn't think so. But then, why had he gone there? He told himself it was to talk, but he was having a hard time believing that was the only reason.

It was too early to be thinking this hard. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down to some Coltrane. He closed his eyes after popping a few Vicodin.

Why had Stacy come back? He had gotten used to his life since she left. It wasn't perfect, but he liked it well enough, and things with Cuddy were just starting to get interesting.

He had known Cuddy for years. Next to Wilson, she was his closest friend. He knew her better than he had ever known Stacy. Cuddy was there with him through his infarction, misdiagnosis and surgery, and more importantly, recovery. She even stuck by him while he blamed her for what went wrong. She promised him she would take care of him, and she always had. He'd never fully appreciated all she'd done for him.

Could she really be in love with him? He'd denied it for so long. He didn't want to believe it because then he would have to think about how he felt about her. That was not something he was ready for.

He drove himself to work in a daze. He tried to think of anything but the lovely Dr. Lisa Cuddy. He tried to remember if he'd paid all his bills this month. Did he balance his checkbook? Did he need anything at the grocery store? The answers came as soon as the questions were asked. Yes, yes, no. They really didn't cause enough of a distraction. He tried thinking of anything else, but nothing came.

He was happy to arrive at the hospital. Patients always made great diversions. For the first time in his life he was a little sorry he didn't have clinic duty today. That would have taken his mind off Cuddy. Or would it have given him ample reason to be around her? House shook off the thought. He wasn't in love with Lisa Cuddy. He didn't fall in love. It was just a friendship, with some great perks now and then.

House entered the hospital glancing around nervously. As much as he enjoyed his confrontations with Cuddy, he wasn't ready to face her this early in the morning. He wasn't thinking clearly yet, and he might let something slip. It might be interesting to see her reaction to his knowing she loved him, but he wasn't ready to handle it.

He knew he would have to face her eventually, but he was going to put it off as long as possible. He needed time to prepare. Cuddy wasn't the type of person one could just jump into a conversation with. She was a challenge. She could also read him pretty easily by now, and would know something was up.

He made it to the safety of his office. He thought of closing the blinds, but that would be a dead giveaway that he was hiding in his office. He decided instead to play it cool, and just duck out of sight every time he heard footsteps approaching.

Cuddy did not make an appearance that morning, and House was relieved when lunchtime came and Wilson suggested they eat outside. They grabbed some hotdogs and soda from the street vendor and sat on a bench just outside the hospital grounds.

"Have you seen Cuddy?" Wilson asked, pushing his hotdog into his mouth.

"Not yet." House tried to seem casual, but there was a slight edge in his voice.

"Well, she's in a foul mood. I'd steer clear if I were you."

"I have every intention of avoiding her like the plague."

"Good man." Wilson's mouth was full, but he managed to get the words out anyway.

"Did she say anything to you?" House was too curious to let it pass. Wilson had brought up the subject for a reason and House wanted to know what it was.

"Yeah," Wilson put down the hotdog and opted for some soda. He took a big gulp before finishing his sentence. He knew it was driving House nuts. "She knows you're avoiding her, and she asked if I knew why?"

"What did you tell her?" House couldn't help himself. He sounded like a high school boy with a crush. He hoped Wilson was too involved in his hotdog to really notice.

"I said I didn't know. But it's only a matter of time before she figures it out. Don't tell her what I told you." The high school style conversation was continuing. House felt nauseous. Even in high school he hadn't sounded this pathetic.

House spent the rest of the day hiding in his office. He made several mad dives under his desk or behind file cabinets, and by the end of the day he'd taken over twice his usual Vicodin dosage. The pain in his leg was killing him from all this subversion.

Cuddy had paged him several times, but she knew he wouldn't answer. She'd even passed by his office a few times. She had to know he was in there, because he wasn't as stealthy as he used to be. She hesitated once, like she was going to come in, but she was stopped by Cameron. House wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed.

House wasn't paying attention, so he nearly jumped out of his chair when he heard Cameron's voice. "Dr. House? Is everything OK?"

House looked up, trying to pretend he hadn't just been scared half to death. He popped a couple of Vicodin. "Never better." He replied.

"You know you can talk to me…" Cameron went on, but House didn't hear it. He was looking past her now. Cuddy was standing in the doorway, and House couldn't focus on anything else. She was biting her lip and looking at him in that sweet girl way she had when she was thinking about something pleasant. It was driving him nuts.

"I'm sorry," Cuddy interrupted. "I really need to see Dr. House before he leaves for the day." Cameron looked at her with distain. House was in need of Cameron's comfort and her gentile shoulder to cry on, and Dr. Cuddy comes in wanting to talk business. Couldn't she see he was hurting?

Cameron took one last look at House, didn't notice he wasn't looking back, and left the room. She would just have to comfort him another day. She could wait. It was only a matter of time before he realized he loved her.

Once Cameron was gone, Cuddy came and stood by House's desk. "You OK?" She was concerned about him for many reasons, the biggest being he seemed to be slipping into old habits with the return of Stacy, and she worried for both him mental and physical wellbeing.

Here we go again, House thought. First Cameron and now Cuddy. Pretty soon he would be beating women off with a stick. House didn't want another lecture about Stacy. Especially not from Cuddy. "Stacy's back. Big deal. Why did you invite her to stay if you thought I couldn't handle it?"

Cuddy looked surprised, and disappointed. "So this is about Stacy." She was hoping there was something else going on, anything else. The idea of House pinning after another woman was heartbreaking. House was better than that.

"This is NOT about Stacy. Why does everything think everything is about Stacy? She's not the second coming you know."

Cuddy didn't know what to say next. She had really only come to see him because she'd missed him. She was used to seeing him at least once a day, having a little banter, and staring into his ocean blue eyes. As she thought this, she realized she was staring at them right now, and hoped he hadn't noticed. She quickly looked away.

House had noticed her eyes on his, and he felt a slight disappointment when she looked away. He needed to break the tension between them. It was the wrong kind of tension. It wasn't the usual energy that sparked between them. It was something uncomfortable and unknown. He didn't like it one bit.

He needed something to say. Something that would make her laugh. She had a nice laugh. He thought to himself to get a grip. He wasn't a schoolboy. This was ridiculous. Then he had an idea. "If you came here to jump my bones, just remember that the blinds are open." He smiled at her, and put his hand over the one she had resting on his desk.

She smiled, and House felt a warm fuzzy run through his body. Damn! He thought. I am a love sick schoolboy.

"I thought you liked an audience." She moved closer to him, and leaned against his side of the desk, her leg was touching his, and he could feel the heat of her body.

"I would like to be your audience." He responded, pulling her toward him. He could feel his appreciating rising in his pants. He didn't care if the blinds were open. He wanted her right now.

If House needed another reason to hate Dr. Chase, other than his being the one who sided with Vogler, then he had just got it. Chase pushed through the door, his head in a file. When he looked up, he was stopped dead in his tracks. Although Cuddy and House had tried to pull away quickly, Chase looked up enough to catch the gist of what was going on.

"I…uh…" He was at a loss for words. "I can come back." He spun around so quickly he almost fell over. These were the last two people he wanted to get in trouble with. He would just pretend he saw nothing, and never speak of it to anyone.

Cuddy and House looked at each other. "Is he going to tell the others?" Cuddy asked nervously.

"He is a snitch." House was still not over Chase's previous betrayal, but when he saw the look of fear in Cuddy's face, he had to give her some hope. "I don't think so, though. He knows he's on my bad list, and I don't think he is the type to push his luck."

Cuddy got up to leave. That was too close a call. House grabbed her arm, not ready to let her get away that easily. "Need a ride home?" He asked. He knew she had a car, and could easily drive herself home.

"Yes." She knew he was offering a lot more than just a ride home.

It was a short walk to his car. One of the perks of his condition was the handicapped parking space. Although he did not like thinking of himself as handicapped, it did offer him certain privileges that he took full advantage of.

"Nice car." She hadn't seen his Mustang up close, and was impressed. It was in remarkable condition.

"Thank you." House eased into the car, trying to look cool, despite the terrible pain it was causing his leg.

"I should probably make you return it. It is not hospital policy to accept bribes." She was smiling as she said it, but House wondered if she wasn't serious. It was hard to tell with her sometimes. She was a stickler for hospital policy, but not so much when it came to him.

"Well, is it against hospital policy to accept this?" His hand slid behind her head and he pulled her toward him until their lips were touching. He kissed her. It was a long, soft kiss. It didn't have the urgency of a first kiss, but it held all the promise of more to come.

When Cuddy finally pulled away she was smiling. "I think I can make an exception." She put her hand on his leg and looked into his eyes. They seemed to be making a non-verbal agreement. So many things were going through her mind, but they would have to wait. There was something important she had wanted to talk about with House, but that, too, would have to wait. This was not the time to tell him she thought he needed professional help.

House shifted the car into gear and made his way out of the garage. "Your place or mine?"

"Mine." The top was down in the car. The cool breeze felt good against her skin. They drove to her house in silent anticipation.


	7. Chapter 7

They arrived at her house in record time. "You are lucky you didn't get a ticket."

"You would have paid it." He looked up at her innocently. She'd already gotten out of the car, and was heading for the door. "Hey, wait up." House tried to put the roof up on the car quickly, decided he couldn't do it fast enough, and gave up. He trailed after Cuddy as fast as his cane would allow.

He caught up to her in the doorway and kissed her on the neck. He knew it drove her nuts, and he could feel her body press closer to his. For a split second he thought they shouldn't do this. He was taking advantage of her feelings for him. They should talk. Then he tried to shake Cameron's conscience out of his head. Maybe Wilson was right and she was having a bad influence on him.

To make sure he wasn't getting soft in his old age, or through prolonged exposure to Cameron, He grabbed Cuddy by the waist and turned her around to face him. He planted a long, hard, passionate kiss on her mouth. Yep, he was just fine. No more pangs of conscience would hit him tonight.

He followed her upstairs. She took the stairs slowly, out of consideration for his leg. He appreciated that, but not enough to actually tell her so. They were holding hands, which felt a bit weird to House, but he knew it was not so much out of some romantic gesture, but because she was afraid his leg would give out and he would go tumbling down the stairs. She really was quite a mother hen where he was concerned.

When they reached the top of the stairs, just for some fun, House leaned back like he was about to fall. Cuddy turned around quickly and with one hand on the banister and one hand on his, she pulled him back as hard as she could. She must have been working out because it was a pretty forceful pull. Of course it might not have been had House actually been falling, but then, she didn't know that.

House's body went in completely the other direction, and instead of falling down the stairs, he fell right on top of Cuddy. "Wow, you are an animal!" He said, laying on top of her. He was surprised that his leg wasn't killing him, but then, it had landed so nicely between her soft thighs that it actually seemed quite content.

"Oh, get off me." She pushed him over on his side.

"Hey, if you want to do it on the floor, I'm game." He put on his "I'm game" smile, his blue eyes sparkling up at her.

"Oh House. You are impossible." Her words said I'd rather wait and do it on the bed if you don't mind, but her lips, which were now pressed onto his, were saying quite a different story.

"I think you'll find a way to do the impossible." He smiled, pleased with his own cleverness, especially since there wasn't much blood headed to his brain at the moment.

Cuddy swung her leg over his torso, and was unbuttoning his shirt. "Shut up." She demanded.

"Yes ma'am." House was only too willing to obey.

"And don't call me ma'am." She threw the sides of his shirt around his arms baring his finely defined chest, which she ran her hands down slowly toward the button on his pants.

"You da boss." It was the last thing House said for quite some time. His lips were busy with other, better things.

They eventually made their way to the bed. Somehow House didn't mind sleeping over. He didn't feel any pressure from her. She wasn't expecting them to talk about their feelings, she didn't want him to hold her hand, or cuddle all night. They shared the bed, but only touched now and then, more by accident than by any design.

Cuddy was already out of bed by the time House woke up. He looked over at the clock. It was pretty early still. He usually wasn't up yet, which explained why his eyes were finding it hard to adjust to the light. There was a steaming mug next to the clock. House picked it up and was happy to find coffee inside it. There were also a couple packs of sugar and some cream near the mug. She didn't presume to know how he liked his coffee, nor had she been studying him so intently that she knew how he liked his coffee.

House sipped away at the coffee then got out of bed. He heard running water coming from the bathroom. She must be taking a shower. He tried to turn the door handle. She hadn't locked it. People who live alone usually don't lock the bathroom door, they rarely have a reason to.

House walked in. The bathroom smelled of perfume. She must use one of those fancy bath gels or something. The mirror was steamed up. She was singing softly to the song on the radio. House smiled to himself. She didn't have a bad voice, really. But then everyone sounded good in the bathroom. Great acoustics.

She obviously hadn't heard him come in. House was already naked, and he did need to take a shower, so he slid the shower curtain aside and slipped in. Cuddy was so startled by his arrival that she dropped her loofa sponge.

"You dropped something." House looked down at it, his eyes taking a long lingering stroll down her body on the way.

"You're reputation for astute observation is proven once again." She bent over to pick it up, struggling in the confined quarters of the tub.

"While you're down there…" House purposely left his sentence incomplete. He knew she would protest before he had a chance to finish anyway.

"I don't think so." She straightened up. "Turn around." House was confused, but happy to oblige. He held onto the shower wall as he turned away from her. She started scrubbing his back with the loofa. He could feel the cold bubbles forming on his back.

"I could get used to this." He was smiling, but she couldn't see it.

"Don't." It was quite obvious she wasn't looking for a job as his official bather any time soon. It was really just a one time "thanks for a fun night" kind of thing. They took turns cleaning each other off. After all it was their fault that the other was all sweaty and dirty anyway. It was the least they could.

After the shower they went their separate ways to get dressed. Cuddy went to her closet and House threw on yesterday's clothes and went home. No goodbye kiss, no see you later dear. Just a nice little "thanks for stopping by" From Cuddy and an "Anytime" From House.


	8. Chapter 8

The first person Cuddy ran into as she entered the hospital was Stacy. Her good mood quickly faded. "Lisa, can I talk to you?" The last thing Cuddy wanted to do was talk to the love of House's life.

"I have a meeting. Can we talk later?" She did have a meeting that day, so it wasn't a complete lie. She was just with holding the part about the meeting being at 3 in the afternoon. Stacy didn't need to know that.

"Maybe we could meet up for lunch?" Stacy was persistant.

"Yes, lunch, that would be great." Cuddy said aloud. In her head she completed the thought, as great as getting all my teeth yanked out of my head. She put on a quick, very fake smile and walked away.

She hid in her office most of the morning, but couldn't escape Stacy come lunch time. There was a knock on her door, and Stacy walked in. "Are you ready for lunch?"

"Yes, right." Cuddy looked at her desk, desperate to find something that looked urgent and important, but she couldn't find anything so she would have to do lunch with Stacy.

They decided on the cafeteria. Whatever it was Stacy wanted to talk about, Cuddy wanted to make sure that they weren't alone. She wasn't ready for any sort of heart to heart. They took a table by the window, which afforded Cuddy a full view of the room. She needed something to look at while trying to not hear what Stacy had to say.

Stacy didn't waste any time. "I don't know what to do. I want him back."

Cuddy did a serious double take. "What!"

"I am still in love with Greg. I thought I could get over him if I just saw him one last time, but seeing him again has only brought back all the memories I've been trying to forget."

There was a time when these two women were very good friends. They used to tell each other everything, which is why Stacy felt comfortable telling Cuddy this now. Cuddy, on the other hand was not so comfortable hearing it.

"What about Mark?" You remember, your husband. Cuddy had wanted to say that last part, but she thought it would come out wrong.

"I know. That's the worst of it. He's a great guy. I do love him. He has been so good to me. I don't want to hurt him, but what I had with Greg. It was so powerful. I just don't think what I have with Mark can compete with it." She was pushing a peice of lettuce around on her plate. She really hadn't been hungry. She just bought the salad for something to do.

Cuddy wanted so bad to shout at her "you can't have him, He's mine now", but she fought the urge. Instead she took a calming breath and spoke slowly. "You shouldn't jepordize what you have with Mark. He really cares for you a great deal, and he needs you right now."

"I know." Stacy put her head in her hands. It was clear that she was really stressed out over this. "I just don't know what to do. I needed to talk to someone about it. You know, when you talk things out they sometimes seem clearer."

Cuddy was no longer listening. House and Wilson had just walked in. She watched as they went through the lunch line and paid for their food. They were now searching for a place to sit. Stacy had poured her heart out and was now waiting for some sort of responce from Cuddy.

Cuddy was saved from having to admit she wasn't paying attention by House. "Are these seats taken?" He looked down at the two ladies.

"Of course not." Stacy spoke first, and motioned House to sit next to her. He did so, and Wilson sat beside Cuddy.

"I hope you ladies weren't talking about me." Everyone at the table laughed nervously because even Wilson could tell they had been talking about House up till the moment he arrived.

"Just talking shop." Stacy tried covering the truth, which she was very good at, being a lawyer.

House looked over at Cuddy and smiled, raising one eyebrow suggestively as he did so. She smiled back behind a fork full of salad. "I have to talk to you later, Dr. Cuddy. Important doctory stuff." He winked at her, and Wilson caught it. He gave House a knowing look.

"Just stop by my office when you are free." Cuddy replied, trying so hard to sound blase about the whole thing, but feeling her heart beating just a little bit faster at the thought of being alone with him.

"So, how about those Yankees." Wilson gave the obligitory change of subject change.

"Oh, you don't still watch baseball do you?" Stacy was horrified by the mere thought of it.

"They are having a horrible season. I can't believe Steinbrenner hasn't fired them all yet." Wilson knew House would jump on the subject.

"We're catching up. Only 2 and a half games behind. The season is only half over. There's still time, if Giambi keeps hitting the ball we just might make it."

Stacy zoned out. She was not a fan of any sport. House used to try to drag her to games, or even worse, to Monster Truck Rally's. It was the hardest part of their relationship for a while, until his operation, then every part of their relationship was hard.

Wilson, Cuddy and House went on and on about baseball. It was a subject all three of them were passionate about. Stacy watched House. She was trying to convince herself that she wasn't in love with him. She even came close to believing it a couple times. She tried thinking about Mark. She should be by his bedside right now. She shouldn't be here, listening to her true love talking about sports. She got up and excused herself, and got a couple of head nods from Cuddy and House and a "later" from Wilson.

After lunch, House followed Cuddy back to her office for that talk he wanted to have. Wilson was tempted to tag along and annoy them, but the glare he got from both of them was enough to chase him away. Cuddy walked into the office first, and House followed her. He closed the blinds and locked the door.

Cuddy turned around when she heard the door lock. "Wow, this must be some talk you want to have." She could feel her heart racing. She knew he was thinking what she was thinking.

"Yeah, now shut up." He walked over and took her in his arms. He kissed her deeply, for a long time. When she finally pulled away it was only because she needed air.

Being the boss, and therefor the responsible one, she felt she should really protest, so she did, but her heart wasn't in it. "We really shouldn't do this."

"It's too late, we've already done it twice." He was unbuttoning her blouse.

"Not in the office." She was still pretending to protest, but she was helping him unbutton her blouse as she spoke.

"I know. Isn't it cool." He smiled that gleeful, boyish smile of his, and all her protests stopped.

"Did you want to do it here on the floor?" She was now topless, and working on his shirt while he admired the view.

"How about the desk?" He had given it some thought. "It sounds naughty." He started walking toward the desk, pushing her backwards in front of him. His shirt landed somewhere along the path, so did her skirt.

"You do Victoria's Secret proud." House looked her up and down.

"Yeah, thanks. Now drop your pants." House did as he was told. Cuddy let out a little laugh. He was standing before her in his shoes, socks, pants around his ankles and a pair of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Boxer shorts.

"Where the hell did you get those things?" She couldn't stop laughing. The red nose was growing.

"They were a present from my little neice. Now stop laughing and get down there."

"Excuse me? I think it's your turn." She pulled the boxers closer to her.

"Oh, you're keeping score now." His arms were around her and he unclasped her bra and helped it slide down her shoulders and to the floor.

"Fair is fair." She kissed his chest gently.

"You're going to make an old crippled man get down on his knees to service your needs? I can sue you for harrassement you know." His fingers were dancing around the edge of her lace panties.

She felt a shiver of excitement rush through her body as he touched her. "OK, we will compromise."

"And what did you have in mind?" He was smiling very wide in anticipation of her idea of compromise.

She turned him around and leaned him against her desk. She lowered his boxers and moved in closer. They both ended up quite fulfilled, and were breathing heavily and leaning across the desk in a matter or minutes.

Cuddy looked up suddenly. "Oh crap. What time is it?" She looked at the desk clock, but realized it had been pushed off the desk. She grabbed House's wrist instead and looked at his watch.

"Hey, you're twisting my arm." He protested. "What's the emergency?"

"I have a meeting here in ten minutes." She practically pushed him off the desk and started shoving clothes at him. She hurriedly dressed and started straightening out the room. She noticed House was just standing there, naked. "Get dressed!" He didn't budge. "I'm not kidding. A huge donor is coming in less than ten minutes. I really don't need her seeing my staff naked."

"Correction. It's my staff that's naked." Cuddy couldn't help but laugh. She ran over and kissed House on the cheek, then grabbed his clothes and tried to get him dressed. He finally gave in and finished the job himself.

He was finally presentable just as there was a knock at the door. "It's her." Cuddy looked around panicked. She made one last check that everything was back in it's place, then went and answered the door. "Mrs. Pond, so nice to see you.:" She shook the old dowagers hand.

House excused himself and walked out, making a final grab of Cuddy's bottom as he passed her. She jumped slightly, but tried to brush it off. "You seem a little flustered dear, is everything alright?" He heard the dowager say as he exited through the door.


	9. Chapter 9

House returned to his office to bask in the afterglow. He didn't know why they hadn't started this sooner. It really was a great way to relief the stress of dealing with patients. House looked up at the clock. Oh, damn, he had clinic duty 20 minutes ago.

He knew that Cuddy was busy with her meeting, so he was in no rush, but he felt it would be rude to not at least make an appearance in the clinic. After all, she might revoke his new privileges if he didn't at least look like he was making an effort.

Wilson was working in the clinic when House arrived, so it wasn't going to be a total waste. "Hey." House headed over to Wilson. "Cuddy's got you in charge today?"

"Yeah, she had some important meeting or something. She was kind of vague." He looked down a list on the clipboard that Cuddy usually carried around.

House was smiling wide. He was dying to tell Wilson all the lurid details of his afternoon delight. Of course Cuddy would be furious, but she knew House well enough to know that he would go bragging to Wilson as soon as the opportunity arose.

Wilson looked at him suspiciously. "What are you smiling at?"

He grabbed Wilson by the sleeve and pulled him into an empty exam room. "House, it's all well and good for you to avoid clinic duty, Cuddy would never do anything to you." House's smile grew at the thought of what Cuddy might do to him. "But I'm the responsible one, remember." Wilson finally thought he knew why House was smiling. "House, you didn't?"

"Oh yes I did." House's cheeks hurt from smiling. "A few minutes ago, as a matter of fact."

"Here?" Wilson couldn't believe his ears.

"Not here in the clinic, no." House was enjoying the look of aggravated anticipation on Wilson's face. "In her office."

"House, you are playing with fire. You know that?" Wilson was worried that his friend was taking this far too lightly. After telling House that Cuddy has feelings for him, Wilson thought his friend might back off a little. Instead he has sex with her at work. No good could come of this.

"Look, we are consenting adults; very compatible consenting adults. What's wrong with blowing off a little steam?" House leaned against one of the tables trying to look as casual as possible.

"She is in love with you House! She's your boss, and you are using her. How do you think this is going to end?" Wilson couldn't believe the sheer ignorance House was currently showing.

"I don't think I want it to end. It's really quite nice." He was reminiscing in his mind. It was quite nice indeed.

"House!" Wilson was getting annoyed. They were both his friends, and he didn't want either of them getting hurt. He knew what could happen here, and it wasn't good. "I am trying to have a serious conversation with you. Could you just pretend to care about the feelings of another human being for like five minutes?"

"I do care about her." He didn't mean to say it. It was one of those things you let slip because you are talking to your best friend and have temporarily let your guard down. He quickly scrambled to cover his mistake. "Gotta keep her happy or she'll cut off my access to the funbags."

Wilson saw straight through House's sad attempt to cover the truth. He smiled to himself. What a funny little world this was. House and Cuddy had known each other since they were all residents together. It was a long time. They had been best friends, the three of them. Cuddy and House even had a brief fling back then, but Wilson thought that was long over.

Now here they were, back where they started. Wilson would once again have to try to get the two most stubborn people he knew to admit to each other that they had feelings. It wasn't going to be easy, and he wouldn't do it for anyone else, but for his oldest and dearest friends, he had to give it a try. Besides, he was a hopeless romantic, and there was nothing more romantic than rekindling an old love.

"Have you told her?"

"That I like her funbags? I think she knows." House was totally avoiding the real question.

"That you care about her." Wilson was pushing it back in his face. Avoid that!

"I'd better get to work. If Cuddy sees me blowing off clinic duty she might get mad." He said the last word playfully, but Wilson got the hint. House wasn't ready to talk.

"I'll send your first case in." Wilson looked down at the clipboard to confirm he had someone waiting. He grabbed the door handle and turned to House for a final thought. "And I'll talk to you later." It came out sounding like a threat, and House knew it was.

On the other side of the door, Stacy straightened herself out, and hurried away. So, House and Cuddy are back together. The whole time Stacy was pouring her heart out to her friend, Cuddy was already screwing around with House. Well, Stacy wasn't about to give up a good fight.


	10. Chapter 10

I made a slight edit to the end of the last chapter. Wilson does not come out of the room, so we leave off with Stacy in the hallway with her ear to the door

Stacy spun around when she heard her name. Cuddy was standing there with a grey haired old lady in a flowery, lacy dress, with a powder blue hat with flowers on it, and matching blue gloves. Stacy thought she was seeing things for a moment. "This is Stacy Warner, general council for the hospital." Cuddy had minatined a cool, professional demeanor, as if finding her employees pressing their ears against doors was just common practice. "Stacy, this is Mrs. Morris. She is here to see that her donation is being put to good use."

Stacy extended a hand and shook the old ladies gently, careful not to break her. Mrs. Morris, however, gripped Stacy's hand tightly and shook it vigorously. "How do you do?" Stacy asked politely. In answer she received the most scrutinizing look she'd ever gotten.

"Are Dr. House and Dr. Wilson in there?" Cuddy motioned toward the room Stacy had been eavesdropping on with such a natural, casual tone, that Stacy felt a wave of guilt. She much preferred being yelled at. That she could fight against, but indifference was trickier because she knew Cuddy would get back at her eventually and now she wouldn't know when.

"I think so, yes." Stacy realized she shouldn't have said "I think so" because it was quite obvious to all of them that she knew exactly who was in the room, but it was instinct. Cuddy rolled her eyes behind the old ladies back, but in full view of Stacy.

Cuddy knocked on the door, glaring at Stacy as if to say, "this is what you do when faced with a shut door. It is a much more effective way to gain entry than pressing your ear against it." To which Stacy shot her a look saying "what makes you think I wanted to go in there." The old lady shot them both a look that said "shut up already."

Wilson opened the door and ushered in Mrs. Morris, followed politely by Cuddy. Cuddy shot Stacy another look that said "don't even think about eavesdropping on me" but she tried to be more polite by saying, "Why don't you join us?" Although it was a question, Stacy was certain that she had no choice, so she followed Cuddy into the room and shut the door.

It turned out to be a conversation she wouldn't have wanted to bother eavesdropping on anyway. Introductions were made and everyone explained their job at the hospital while Mrs. Morris listened intently. It was all very dull, and Stacy found herself zoning out a bit. She decided it was far more productive to watch her chess pieces in action.

They didn't seem to be paying her much attention so it was the perfect opportunity to study the group dynamic. There was obviously something going on. House and Cuddy kept glancing at each other, and they stood close together. Wilson watched them almost as closely as Stacy was. He was the way in. If she could get him to deliver the news it would have much more impact. She had to keep her hands clean of the whole mess. It couldn't get traced back to her or House would figure out it was all a trick.

"Stacy!" She nearly jumped. She hadn't realized just how deep in thought she was until Cuddy called her name. "Why don't you take Mrs. Morris through the legal department, introduce her to the rest of the team." Again, it wasn't a question. Cuddy could be easily manipulated at times, but she was just as good at dishing it out.

It had been a long day. House was happy to finally be home. He poured himself a scotch, put on some Etta James, and sat back in his favorite chair. He needed time to think about all this. He had put off thinking about it for far too long.

Next to Wilson, Cuddy was House's closest friend. She had stood by him after his surgery when he did everything he could to drive her away. He cringed when he thought of some of the things he'd said to her. But she had hurt him years before. It was her idea to just be friends. He wanted to marry her back then, when they were lowly residents, but she had never given him that chance. She broke up with him the night he was going to ask her.

It had taken him years to get over it. Stacy was the first woman he'd met that could deal with him, a bitter, distrusting jerk. Stacy was one tough cookie. She must have known that he wasn't in that relationship 100. That's probably what really drove her away, not the leg, not the accusations. She'd told him she left because there wasn't room for her, which was probably not far from the truth.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his reverie. He thought about leaving it, but the knock became more persistent, so he pushed himself out of the chair and walked to the door. The peep hole revealed that it was Stacy behind all the knocking. That figured, he thought. She is nothing if not persistent.

"Hi Greg." She looked tired as she walked through the now open door.

"What's wrong?" He could tell she had something on her mind.

"Etta James? Sounds like you're the one with something wrong. I haven't heard you play this in years." She swayed gently to the music. She looked like she might have had a few drinks.

"Come in," House said after the fact. It was a pointless invitation because she was already sitting on the couch drinking from his glass. "That was mine."

"I need it more than you do." She looked at him. Her mind was going a mile a minute. She was going to give him one last chance. A plan had formed in her head. If he didn't take her up on this offer, he would pay dearly, and his precious little Lisa would go down with him.

Against his better judgment, House sat next to Stacy. He was not used to seeing her so depressed. She was a can do kind of person. She never let anything stop her. It was heartbreaking to see someone you loved in so much pain. He put an arm around her. "Is it Mark?" It still stung a little to say her husband's name. He knew it wasn't fair of him to be angry with her marrying another man, but that didn't stop him.

"I miss you." She let the tears come. She had worked herself into such a frenzy before arriving that the tears came freely. She buried her head in his shoulder.

There was a time when House would have done anything to get her back. It wasn't that long ago. When she first came back to PPTH she could see it in his eyes. It was gone now, and she knew exactly why. Lisa Cuddy! Stacy didn't know the whole story behind those two, but it was clear that there had been something there. Cuddy had always been there, and she always would be, like a bad rash that you can't get rid of no matter how much ointment you used. Stacy hadn't let Lisa stop her then, and she wasn't going to let her win this time.

"Greg," she strategically looked into his eyes, "I need you." She squeezed him tight. This might have started as simple jealousy, but something in Stacy had snapped. She wanted House back more than anything, even more than she wanted her husband to live, though she would not admit that to herself or anyone else.

House was stunned. Not long ago, she said she was in love with her husband, that she would never want House back no matter how much they felt for each other. Now that he was unavailable she wanted him back. Isn't that always the way. House knitted his brow. He considered himself unavailable, he was taken. It had been a long time since he felt that way. It was unsettling.

Stacy pulled herself closer to him. She started kissing his neck, and he started liking it. He had drunk more than he thought, and his inhibitions seemed to have gone on vacation. She pushed him against the sofa, pressing herself against him. She felt warm against his body. His mind flashed to Cuddy, she felt so soft and warm in his arms. He opened his eyes and saw Stacy's face getting closer.

He moved out of the way before she could make contact with his lips. "You're not thinking straight. You need to get out of the hospital for a while."

"Are you asking me out?" She was hurt by his brush off, but she wasn't going to give up that easily. Her hands moved down to his waist and fumbled with the button on his pants.

House's eyes grew to the size of saucers. It took all of his willpower to push her away. He really didn't want to. She was such a good lover, but this was all so wrong. "I can't let you do this, Stacy, you'll regret it."

"I regret a lot of things Greg, but loving you was never one of them." She kissed his neck again, and this time successfully worked her way to his lips.

House had a lot of regrets in his life, too. Probably many more than she would ever have. He knew that tonight would be added to the list, no matter how the night ended up. He let himself succumb to her kiss. It felt good, but not as good as he thought it would. His mind was flashing to Cuddy. She would never forgive him if he goes through with this.

House was desperate for a way out. He didn't want to hurt Stacy, kick her while she's down. It just seemed too mean, even for him. He needed a way out. He remembered that first night with Cuddy and an idea came to him. He grabbed his leg and let out a scream of pain.

Stacy jumped off him. She looked terrified and guilty. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." This was a minor setback. She had pushed too hard. She would have to regroup, come up with another strategy. "I'll be gentile." She sat back down next to him, and pulled him toward her this time. She would not put any pressure on his leg. She could still do this.

"No." House didn't know how else to avoid it. "Don't do this."

"I thought this was what you wanted. I've seen the way you look at me Greg. You still want me. Don't deny it."

"I'm not denying anything, Stacy, and I'm not doing anything."

"You're going to regret this."

"Not as much as you will if you go through with it." He was being as truthful as he could without bringing Cuddy into it. Even if he wasn't seeing Cuddy, Stacy shouldn't do this, not now. If anything happened to Mark she would blame herself, and if he didn't die, she would have to live with the guilt of cheating on him at his time of greatest need. No good could come of this.

"I mean it Greg." She got up and grabbed her purse. For a moment House thought she was going to swing it at him, but instead she stormed to the door. When she swung it open, she stopped dead in her tracks. She was face to face with her arch nemesis, Dr. Lisa Cuddy. "Oh, that figures." She pushed past Cuddy and didn't look back.

"What was that all about?" Cuddy felt like a tornado had just blown past.

"I don't want to talk about it." House grumbled.

"I thought you could use some company, but if you'd rather be alone I can go." She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm.

"Don't you dare. Is that scotch in your hand?" He noticed the bottle she was carrying in one hand, and not the bag she had in the other. She put the bag down just inside the doorway, but walked to the living room carrying the bottle.

"I thought it might keep you company." She smiled as she put the bottle down next to the near empty bottle on the coffee table. "Only one glass? Were you sharing?"

"I thought you might keep me company." He wrapped his arms around her waist. He didn't want to answer any more questions.

"I don't know. I don't want sloppy seconds." She was making a joke, but House didn't take it well, and she knew she must have hit close to the truth.

"She was here to talk about Mark."

"Has he gotten worse?"

Damn, she asked the question. House didn't know what to say, since he and Stacy hadn't talked about Mark at all.

"It's OK, House. I can go."

"No." He grabbed her hand. He didn't want her to leave. He no longer wanted to be alone. He wanted to talk, but he wasn't sure she'd want to hear it. "Stay."

She stayed. They talked about the hospital and life, they argued about baseball and work, and shared funny stories about Wilson and the past. It was all very pleasant. The bottle of scotch sat unopened on the coffee table. Cuddy's company was all he needed right now.

"Come here." He pulled her to her feet. They had been sitting on the couch, which he hated, and his back was starting to hurt. He wanted to sit in his beloved lounge chair, but he didn't want her too far away.

House positioned himself comfortably in his chair, and then pulled Cuddy toward him. She tried not to sit in his lap, concerned about his leg, but he gave her no choice. "Are you sure this won't hurt?" She carefully lowered herself onto his lap.

"Just get down here already. You're such a worrier, lighten up." He made a face like he was in pain. "No, I mean it, lighten up. What have you been eating lately?"

"Nice, you sure now how to get a gal in the mood." She kissed him despite his little joke.

House sat in silence. She had rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. His leg was throbbing, but he didn't care. He welcomed the pain. It took his mind off other things, though not for long. The problem with pain as a distraction is that it only works for so long. Eventually your body adjusts to the pain allowing your mind to function once again, whether it wants to or not. House's mind really didn't want to function, but he felt memories of this evening creeping back into his mind.

"Does Stacy seem strange to you?" He couldn't help himself. He had to talk about it.

"What do you mean?" Cuddy didn't lift her head, she was way too comfortable.

"She came here tonight to try to seduce me. She couldn't keep her hands off me." He didn't know if he should say it, given his current whatever it was with Cuddy, but she was still his friend, and he wanted to talk to her.

Cuddy suppressed a laugh. "I know it's hard to believe, but there are women out there who find you quite attractive. I can't imagine why…" she let out a little eep, as House gave her a little slap on the nether regions. "Fine, I can imagine why. You're a sex bomb, darling, you're just going to have to deal with it. It's not easy, I know, but you get used to it."

House looked at her for a moment. She called him Darling. Although she was only joking, House was embarrassed to admit to himself that he liked the way it sounded. Shake it off, man, he yelled inside his own head. "Um, I know I'm a stud and all, but her husband is dying. Doesn't it seem a little strange to you that she would come here to do the nasty with me while her husband is laying on his deathbed?"

Cuddy gave it some thought. She could see why any woman would not be able to keep their hands off House. She was having a hard time right now, but he did have a point. Stacy wasn't the kind of person who went around throwing herself at men, even House. "She has seemed stressed lately, but that's to be expected." Cuddy took a gulp and asked the question. "Did she succeed?"

It took a minute for House to figure out what she'd meant, and it almost made him blush. "No," he mumbled half embarrassed, half disappointed. "You haven't noticed anything else?" It was really bothering him. The more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed.

"Nothing. She's been her usual bossy, pushy, manipulative lawyer self. That's why I asked her back."

"Is it really?" House didn't think Cuddy was entirely behind Stacy's being back at the hospital. It just didn't seem to make sense. Why would Cuddy bring back House's ex-girlfriend right when she and House were starting a… something?

Cuddy didn't answer. She didn't want to lie to him, and she didn't want to tell the truth, so she said nothing, and let him draw his own conclusions. In the silence she found herself drifting off to sleep.

House knew exactly what her silence meant. Stacy had conned her into taking her back, but why? House pondered the possibilities in silence. He could feel Cuddy's soft, regular breathing and realized she'd fallen asleep. He pulled the afghan off the back of the chair and placed it over her. Then he put his head back and drifted into his own sleep.

He slept restlessly, his mind haunted by strange dreams. He and Cuddy were on a boat, making love. It was wonderful. He was young and healthy, his leg as fit as it used to be. He thought this would be a good dream until a shark jumped out of the water and bit off his leg. Cuddy bashed the shark in the head with an oar, but it was too late, the leg was gone. House spun around to face Cuddy, but it was now Stacy, and she wasn't holding an oar anymore, she was holding his leg. House woke with a start.

"Is everything OK?" Cuddy was stirred awake by his sudden movement.

"Stop asking me if everything is OK," House snapped.

"Sorry."

"It was just a bad dream."

"I hope I wasn't in it."

"You were. You saved me from a man eating shark. You're my hero." He smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Can your hero sleep in a real bed?" She felt stiff from being curled up in his lap. It was nice and all, but she had work in the morning and needed to get some real sleep.

"You're finally going to get off me?" House pushed her off his lap and laughed as she landed on the floor.

"If you weren't a crippled I'd kick you're arse." She got up and brushed herself off. Then she followed him into the bedroom. "Do you have something I can wear?" She was in jeans and a tee shirt, which weren't all that comfortable to sleep in.

"I vote for birthday suit," House said excitedly.

"I'm sure you do, but it's too late for that. I need to get some sleep, and so do you." She looked at him and realized he looked like shyte.

House walked over to the dresser, his shoulders hunched in defeat. He pulled something out and threw it to Cuddy. It was an old Ozzy tee shirt. She went into the bathroom and came back in nothing but it. It was the sexiest thing House had ever seen. If Cuddy thought she was going to get into his bed looking like that and not have sex with him she was sadly mistake.

She actually didn't seem all that sad when she finally drifted off to sleep a half hour later. She had a very pleased smile on her face as a matter of fact. It was identical to the one House had on his face as he laid back and looked out the window, waiting for sleep to come.

House woke the next morning to the smell of brown sugar and the sound of activity in the kitchen. He threw a robe around his naked body, grabbed his cane and walked to the kitchen. He saw Cuddy searching through his cabinets. Usually he would find this very intrusive, and make a snide comment, but she looked so cute on tip toes, his tee shirt riding up and showing a flash of her round bottom, that he let it slide.

He tried his best to tip toe up behind her. He did surprisingly well for a man in his condition. The rubber tip on his cane helped immensely. For a moment he thought she had heard him, but she was so busy trying to figure out how he had organized his kitchenware that she didn't hear him until his warm breath was on the back of her neck, and his arms were around her waist.

She jumped in his arms. It's a good thing House used Corelle dinnerware because several plates went crashing to the floor. He laughed as she looked at the mess at their feet. "Oops." He said in that House way that only he can do.

"I made French Toast," she said, taking two new dishes from the cabinet and stepping over the ones on the floor.

"Aren't you going to pick those up?" House looked at her incredulously.

"Don't you have a maid?" She made no sign of going back to pick up the dishes. Instead she put some French toast slices on the two plates she'd brought to the table and placed them in front of two chairs.

House sighed deeply and made a big production of bending over to pick up the plates.

"Oh, I would have gotten those," Cuddy watched him, but made no sign of going to help. House sighed more heavily and shook his head.

They sat down to eat. "Not bad." House spoke with his mouth full. The French toast was actually way better than not bad, but he wasn't going to give Cuddy the satisfaction of praising her, not after the whole plate incident.

"Thanks." She didn't sound all that enthusiastic about it. She had hopped for a stronger reaction from House. Brown Sugar French toast was her specialty. She'd been making it ever since she was a little girl.

They had finished, and cleared the table together. House liked having Cuddy around for breakfast. It was very domestic. It was also a sad reminder of the way things could have been. He tried not to think about it. He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She really was the best kisser he'd ever kissed.

"You owe me more than a kiss." She pulled at the rope that was holding his robe closed.

House had wanted to drag her back to his den, but he knew that when a woman was in the mood you had to act fast. "You're so demanding!" He didn't even bother trying to sound put out.

She finally managed to untangle the knot and slip his robe off. A brush of cool air tickled his skin and set his hairs on end for just a moment before her warm body wrapped itself around him. She pulled the tee shirt over her head quickly and tossed it aside, where it lay with his robe quite as she was about to lay with him, all tangled and twisted together.

He felt the edge of the table press up against his buttocks. She was definitely in charge of this particular meeting, and he quite liked it. Her mouth was all over him. He felt like dessert. "Would you like some whipped cream with that?" He asked as she put her tongue in places it would not normally be.

"Nope. I'm good." She smiled at him. She was having fun.

"I know you're good. I taught you everything you know. That wasn't the question."

"Wait, you taught me? I don't think so buddy." She pushed him up onto the table.

He'd never had sex on a kitchen table before. It wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The Formica top was cold and hard, not to mention slippery. He had to hold on to the edges to keep them both from skidding off the edge. Cuddy had to constantly readjust her position in order to keep their bodies aligned. This caused a good deal of rubbing against the Formica for House, not that he was complaining. His foot slipped, sending a chair across the room and causing them both to crack up.

"We are never doing this again." House commanded. He was way too old for this sort of thing.

"Let's finish what we're doing before we start looking to the future," Cuddy managed to say between heavy breaths.

"Easy for you to say, you're butt isn't being flattened by the hardest surface since my…" He couldn't finish his thought. He was busy finishing something far more important.

Cuddy rolled over next to him. "Ewe, this is awful." She felt her sweaty flesh sticking to the table top.

"Gee, thanks." House looked dejected.

"Not you, you were amazing, as always." She kissed him quickly and got up. She threw on the tee shirt before helping pry House off the table to which he had become quite stuck.

They both burst into gales of laughter when they saw the debris scattered around the kitchen. Napkins, condiments, and other tabletop casualties lay scattered across the floor. The chair House had kicked was laying on it's side like a fallen soldier.

"I have to get a new table." House was looking at it in disgust. "I can't eat off that thing anymore."

"Don't be so dramatic." Cuddy had started to pick up the mess.

"Don't you have any sense of hygiene? You're a doctor." He was horrified at the thought.

"You can wash it, you know." She went over to the sink and wet a sponge. "Where do you keep your cleaning supplies? Never mind." She had looked in the cabinet under the sink and found what she needed.

"I can see my butt marks." House was looking at the table. He'd never done anything as crazy as that, well, not in a long time anyway. "That won't come out. It's in my head. It will never go away."

Stacy had been working overtime. She was determined to see her plan get started. She had to do some research, but she was sure she would find what she was looking for. Lucky for her, Cuddy was a very predictable woman. She came in early every day, and left late, but she always had a tennis date on Wednesday evenings, and her board meetings were every Tuesday.

Stacy waited until Wednesday. Sneaking into Cuddy's office with Cuddy in the boardroom next door was too risky. Stacy was going to need enough time to sift through the files. She imagined there were a lot to go through.

Wednesday finally came, and she watched as Cuddy ran out the door in her tennis outfit. Stacy couldn't imagine why she needed to change at work, and prance around in her short little tennis skirt. Then she saw House out of the corner of her eye, and it was obvious. House watched the door swing shut appreciatively, then turned and went back to his office. She wondered if he came out every Wednesday just to watch Cuddy leave.

The office was impeccable. This wasn't going to be very hard at all. Cuddy was a very organized administrator. Just as Stacy suspected, the file for House was enormous, and it was not surprising that most of the complaints never made it to the legal department. Cuddy was very protective of her favorite boy.

Stacy knew what she was looking for. She brushed past the numerous complaints of patient mistreatment until she came to a very promising case. An intern had complained of House making a sexual comment to her. It seems she dropped the charge after a little chat with Cuddy. That wasn't surprising, though it could be considered highly unethical.

Stacy stuck the file in her briefcase. Cuddy wouldn't miss it. There were so many files in House's drawer, actually he had a couple drawers, and at first Stacy had envisioned one as being a shrine to Greg, mementos like the napkin he used at lunch, and the wrapper from a candy he'd once given Cuddy. As fun as that would have been, both drawers just contained files

When she got back to her office she opened up the file. Carter, Jodi. She was an intern Cuddy had shadow House for a day. Seems he made some comment about her wardrobe, about her shirt being too low." This made Stacy laugh. She was thinking of the way Cuddy dressed, and how House didn't seem to mind it one bit. Yes, Stacy thought, this one would do just fine. She picked up her phone and called the extension in the file.

Jodi seemed like a nice enough girl. Stacy had asked to meet her for lunch off campus. She didn't want them being seen together, but she told Jodi it was for confidentiality reasons, which it actually was, just not for Jodi's sake as much as her own.

"I don't know why you wanted to see me Mrs. Warner. I dropped the charges against Dr. House several months ago." She looked nervous. She was very young. Stacy wondered if she'd made a mistake with this one, but it was too late now.

"I know, but a second complainant has come forward and it would really help her case if we could establish a pattern of behavior." She waited, let it sink in.

"He only made a comment. It was really harmless. I over reacted. I don't think I can be any help to you." Jodi had dismissed it as just an annoying eccentricity after talking with Dr. Cuddy, but Mrs. Warner looked very serious.

"You were lucky. It says here that someone else was in the room?" Stacy was reeling her in slowly. Years of practicing law had made this sort of thing second nature to her.

"Um, yeah, Julia, she's another intern. What do you mean I was lucky?" Jodi wasn't sure where this was going. It was just a comment.

"The other girl, my client, she got more than just a comment."

Jodi's eyes popped open wide. She was shocked. Cuddy had assured her that House was a harmless old man, just a little grumpier than most because of the pain he was in. She'd made Jodi feel sorry for him. Stacy's implications made him seem more like a dirty old man preying on impressionable young girls. "Is she another intern? What did he do?" She had so many questions.

"I really can't discuss that. It's confidential. What I can tell you is that the charges against Dr. House are very serious, and it would be a big help if you would write a statement to be read in court. I am asking it of all his victims." Stacy wanted to cringe. She was making him sound like a letch, but Jodi was a hard sell. Cuddy must have given her quite a talk.

"Oh, I, yes, I will write something down. Do I give it to you?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She felt lucky to have had Julia with her. Who knows what might have happened if she'd been in the room alone with him.

"Yes, put it in a sealed envelope and leave it on my desk. Don't put your name on the envelope. I want to keep it confidential." She knew that whenever a lawyer used words like confidential and privileged with the uninformed they would usually do what they were told. She was certain Jodi would follow her instructions to the letter.

Jodi hurried away from the meeting. She was all excited, not in a good way, but in a very nervous, scared kind of way. She felt she had to go warn the other interns to stay away from Dr. House. He wasn't quite as harmless as they thought.


	11. Chapter 11

House had skipped his office and headed straight for Wilson's office. He still had Stacy's strange behavior on his mind and needed to talk to Wilson.

"She seems perfectly normal to me. Well, as normal as can be expected. Her husband is dying in case you hadn't noticed."

"I know her husband is dying. Why does everybody feel the need to remind me of this? I am his doctor."

"Not the greatest idea I've ever heard." Wilson mumbled, and quickly tried to cover it up with more talking. "Have you talked to Stacy about it?"

"I can't. She came on to me last night. I tried to talk her out of it, but she was like an animal."

"Right, let me get this straight. A hot woman threw herself at you and you tried to talk her out of it? Come on House, I'm not buying it." Wilson couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was a nice guy, sweetest guy you'll ever meet, but fidelity was a very hard concept for him to grasp.

"I, it wasn't right." House was stumbling over his words. He had a hard time buying it too. "You had to be there."

"I wish I was. I wouldn't have turned her down." Wilson meant it more than he cared to admit.

"You're married." House often felt he needed to remind his friend of this small detail. He thought the ring on Wilson's finger might do it, but apparently not.

"Oh, I see, you're all faithful now, don't want to cheat on the girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend." House spat it out. His quick response betrayed his words.

"You're sleeping with her, right?" House confirmed this. "You're always together, right?" House confirmed this too. "And you like her, right?" Begrudgingly House admitted to that one as well. "So just go out with her already."

House thought for a moment. It seemed strange to think that he and Cuddy hadn't actually gone out on a date. They spent so much time together that he just sort of took it for granted that they had, but they hadn't.

He looked over and noticed that Wilson was holding his phone up to his ear. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." The way he said it clearly meant he was doing something and just didn't want House to know about it. Someone must have picked up the other end because he started a conversation. "Hey, House wants to know..." he was interrupted by House reaching over the desk and trying to grab the phone. Wilson was glad he'd chosen to use is mobile instead of his land line. He pulled it out of House's reach. "If you..." House lunged at him again, and Wilson had to jump back out of his seat to avoid him. "Will go out..." House was coming around the desk now, so Wilson scurried off in the other direction. "With him on..." They were now playing a game of chicken. House would lunge one way, and Wilson would dart the other. House tried to trick Wilson by pretending to lunge one way and quickly switching. Wilson nearly dropped the phone on that move. He scrambled to get it back up to his ear and mouth. "Friday." Wilson had to make a run for it as House finally managed to pull off the bluff. "eight o'clock." House grabbed the phone. It was too late. There was nothing but dead air on the other end. "She said to pick her up at her house at 8."

"I'm going to kill you." House sank into his chair. He couldn't believe he was going on another date. He had gone five years without going on a single date, and now in three months he had been on two. He really hoped this one would go better than the last.

"Awe, just name you're first born after me." Wilson ducked as his phone came flying at his head. "That cost $500."

"Bummer." House popped a couple Vicodin. All that activity had caused his leg to flare up, and the thought of a date with Cuddy had caused his nerves to flair up.

"So, where are you going to take her?" Wilson was as giddy as a schoolgirl.

"I don't know." How was he supposed to come up with something that fast.

"There's that new restaurant, The Black Pearl, it's supposed to be very romantic." Wilson was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"What kind of food is it?"

"Asian fusion, very chic."

"Asian what? I'm not eating fused food." House was shaking his head.

"Cuddy will love it. I'll make your reservation." Wilson whipped out his mobile again. He wasn't going to let House squirm out of this date easily. He put his ear up to the phone, then brought it back down and hit it against his palm a few times. He tried again. The phone was dead. "You killed it." He looked accusingly at House, and then picked up his office phone.

It didn't take long for news to travel through PPTH. Gossip was sometimes the only thing doctors had to relieve the stress of a tough day, and gossip the likes of this was worth its weight in gold. It didn't take long for Jodi to inform her friends about House's other victim. As was usual with young people, she had let her imagination run away with her. What had been a simple comment about her blouse had grown in proportion by the time she was done talking to Stacy.

By the time it worked its way out of the interns inner circle, House was ogling her, and making lascivious comments, and Jodi had feared what he might do to her. After a wild game of he said she said, House was practically a rapist.

It didn't take long for the news to spread from the interns to the nurses to the residents, fellows, doctors and administration. Stacy listened to the gossip stone-faced, but inside she was popping Champaign and celebrating her victory, but this was only the beginning.

If she was going to cause maximum damage, she would have to infiltrate House's inner circle. Wilson and Cuddy were out. They would stay devoted to House no matter what. She would have to go after his Fellows. Foreman didn't seem to care for her very much, so he would be skeptical of anything she had to say. That left Chase and Cameron.

The obvious choice would have been Chase. He was already fed up with House, and had proven that he could betray him if necessary. She could play on Chase's insecurities and easily convince him of the worst. The trouble with Chase was that no one would take him seriously. He didn't have the impact she was looking for.

Cameron, on the other hand, would have great impact. She worshiped House. If Stacy could turn her against him, people would take notice. The down side was that she would be very hard to convince. Stacy would have to use all her skills in psychology and manipulation to pull this one off.

Cameron was surprised to see Stacy in the lab. She was probably looking for House. "He's not here."

"Who?" Stacy looked dazed.

"House. He's probably in his office." Cameron remembered the last time she was alone in a room with Stacy. She was dying to get more information out of her. Last time she had gotten very little. "Could, could I ask you a question?" She didn't know what question she wanted to ask yet, but she knew she wanted to ask many.

"I don't know, is this about House? I really don't want to talk about him right now." She looked like she was about to cry.

"Is everything OK? I mean, is, did something happen to Mark?" Cameron went into Florence Nightingale mode. She took Stacy by the shoulders and led her to a chair.

"Mark is dying." She nearly shouted it. She needed to come across as a passionately loving wife. There could be no possibility that she wanted House back in the slightest. "Greg won't help him."

"Dr. House is doing everything he can. He is very close now. Don't give up hope." Cameron pulled up a chair facing Stacy's and held her hands as she started to cry.

"Greg isn't doing everything he can. He wants Mark to die. He's just biding his time."

"House would never want a patient to die." Cameron was stunned by the accusation.

"This isn't just any patient. It's my husband. Greg can't deal with that. He still thinks theirs a chance. He..." she let herself trail off and put her head in her hands. The tears came easily. She had always been a natural born actress. It was a gift that served her well as a lawyer.

"What? Did he say something to you?" Cameron's curiosity got the better of her. She was falling hook line and sinker.

"He didn't just say something..." She had to be careful. This was the tricky part. "I still can't believe it." She wanted to pat herself on the back. That was a nice touch if she did think so herself.

"What did he do?" Cameron was frightened now. She knew House was capable of some pretty awful things, at least by other people's standards, but for Stacy, who knew him and loved him to say he'd done something terrible, well that really meant something.

"I should never have come back here. Mark warned me. I think he would rather have died than have me back in House's life. He was right. I just didn't realize, I thought House was over it. I thought he could handle it."

Cameron was fighting to keep from yelling. She thought she might burst if she didn't find out what Stacy was talking about. "You can tell me. It might make you feel better." She affected her nurturing tone, but inside she was screaming.

"I can't. You wouldn't believe me. You look up to him. No, you would never believe me. You are too far under his spell. God, I remember what that was like." Stacy knew that Cameron would do anything to prove she wasn't just some girl with a crush. Stacy was counting on it.

"I am not under a spell. I do respect Dr. House, but I know he isn't without sin. No one is." Remorse entered her voice, but she pushed it back out.

"I'm sure you've heard the rumors." She had hoped that was all she'd need to say, but Cameron was holding back. She wasn't ready to give up on her hero worship just yet. "Well, they're more than just rumors." She threw in a nice cry for effect. It seemed to work. Cameron reached out and put an arm around her.

"Are you...you're the one he...he..." She couldn't bring herself to say it.

"You don't have to say it." Stacy was sobbing openly now. "I don't think I can say it. I told you once that he was the same as I remembered him, but that wasn't exactly true. There is something different about him. He seems so, hollow, so empty. I don't even know if the Greg I loved is in there anymore."

"He's been hurt, we all have. I can't believe..." she didn't get to finish.

"I knew you wouldn't believe me." Stacy burst into even more tears. She couldn't believe Cameron had fallen into that one. That was priceless.

"I...I do believe you. It's just, it's hard. I mean, I don't know House as well as you do, but I find it hard to see him doing anything like that." She was backpedaling big time, but all she was really doing was digging herself in deeper.

"No one ever looks at someone they know and thinks "this guy could be a rapist", but every rapist knows someone."

Cameron went pale. She couldn't believe Stacy had uttered the word rape. "He didn't..." She couldn't finish. If she did, she might faint.

"No, he didn't have the chance. Cuddy showed up. I don't know what he was intending to do, and I don't want to know." She was coming to the end, so she lessened the water works to a quiet trickle. "I wouldn't have thought anything of it, dismissed it as too many drinks or getting lost in the past, but when I heard about the other cases, I knew I had to do something. Those girls are too young to stand up for themselves. I have to do this for them. He has to be stopped, for his own good." She threw that last bit in knowing Cameron would have protested. It seemed to do the trick.

Stacy had practiced this over and over again. She had timed everything perfectly. She took a sneak peak at her watch. She had cut it close. The grand finale would occur in three...two...one...

The lab door swung open and House walked in. He did not like the looks of the scene before him. Cameron and Stacy were sitting face to face, and each was wiping her eyes.

"Uh, sorry about the other night." House said the only thing he could think of. This wasn't the moment for a snarky comment, and this was definitely not the audience to appreciate one.

Stacy shot out of her seat. She stormed over to him before he had time to notice she'd gotten up. "You bastard!" She slapped him hard across the face. He thought Cameron would rush to his defense, but she just sat there, an odd mix of disappointment and rage on her face.

Cameron was in no mood for Happy Hour with the boys that evening, but Dr. Chase cornered her outside. "Give you a lift?" He wasn't taking no for an answer, so she finally caved in and went with him.

Cameron tried to keep the subject on anything but work. She'd had enough of the hospital and more than enough of House for one day. She was finding it hard to believe what Stacy had told her, but she was finding it harder to disbelieve it.

After several drinks and some Smalltalk, Foreman got to the topic she was trying so hard to avoid. "So, what's with you and House?"

"There is nothing going on between me and House." She felt the alcohol running through her veins and loosing her tongue.

"Why do you hate him all of a sudden?" Foreman wasn't going to let it drop.

"What did he do?" Chase wasn't about to be left out of the conversation.

"He didn't do anything to me." Foreman paid close attention to her words, and how she used them.

"Then who?"

"What?" Cameron's mind wasn't working as fast as it should be.

"If he didn't do anything to you, then who did he do it to?"

"And what?" Chase was as curious as his colleague.

Cameron could feel the words rising up to her lips. She tried to stop them, but it was too late. "Stacy, he tried to, he attacked her." They were out, and she could never take them back.

"You're joking." Chase looked at her with eyes wide. "Thanks Sheila." He had thickened his Australian accent as he spoke to the well endowed waitress who just put down the next round of drinks.

"My names Ginger, sweetie. See it, here on my name tag?" She thrust a large, round breast in his face, and he could clearly read the name Ginger on the tiny tag attached to it.

"Ginger, got it." He was not impressed. She had no sense of humor. Aussies called all hot chicks Sheila. It was like saying hey babe. Whatever.

Chase was sure he'd missed part of the conversation because Cameron and Foreman were now arguing.

"You don't really believe it? You think that man walks on water."

"I do not think he walks on water." Cameron found herself once again having to defend her faith in House. This time, however, her heart wasn't really in it. "And why are you so quick to defend him? You challenge ever decision he makes."

"I question his decisions when I think he's wrong. Just because I think he's an arrogant jerk doesn't mean I think he's morally bankrupt."

"You think Stacy's lying?" Cameron really wished he could convince her of it.

"She's a lawyer. Lawyers can't be trusted."

"You're as bad as House."

Chase had been unnoticeably absent from the conversation. Not until there was a lull did the others notice his silence. "Hey Chase," Foreman called to him. "You in there?"

Chase spun his head around and whispered to Foreman, "I think that chick digs me." He nudged his head to where three women were sitting at the bar, then he looked over at Cameron, but she wasn't paying attention. He should have said it louder.

Foreman looked at the three women. One looked like she could crush Chase with one thigh. Given Chase's reaction to a heavy female patient they'd had not too long ago, Foreman figured he wasn't a chubby chaser, so he checked out the next girl. She was checking out the girl next to her, and no matter how feminine Chase seemed to him, Foreman thought he was still too much man for this girl. He looked at the last one. She was pretty, if not a little slutty looking. She gave them a little wave, which Chase responded to. Foreman had found a winner.

"Go over and talk to her." Foreman egged his friend on. It would be a nice diversion from the recently discussed topic to watch Chase get shot down. "She's clearly interested."

Sick of listening to Foreman and Cameron argue, Chase decided to take the formers advice, and walked over to the girl, leaving Cameron and Foreman alone. Cameron was fidgeting with her glass, trying to work up the courage to speak.

"Why would she lie?" Please give me a good reason, please.

If it had been anything else he was being accused of, she would have jumped to his defense without batting an eye, but this was serious. She knew all too well what it was like to be sexually molested by you trust. She had been just a girl, and the man had been a family friend. She found it hard to believe someone would make something like this up. If only she could find a motive, then she could believe in him again.

"I really don't know. House says everyone lies." He wasn't sure what to say, but he figured a general statement and quote from House would appease her. It didn't. She started to cry.

"They love each other. Why would she say something so horrible about someone she loves unless it's true? I just don't get it. No one should lie about something like that." She was still crying. This was hitting way too close to home for her.

"But people do, Allison. I know it isn't fair and it isn't nice, but sometimes like is cruel and unfair, and so are people." He put an arm around her. She reminded him of his little sister. He couldn't bear to see her hurt like this.

"At least Cuddy showed up to stop him." She was wiping away the tears. That's right, she'd forgotten that part. House didn't actually do anything. Maybe he wasn't going to. Maybe Stacy misinterpreted his actions. Maybe it was all just a big misunderstanding.

"Cuddy was there?" Foreman wasn't expecting that. "If she was there, just ask her, and she can clear this all up." Foreman wasn't sure Cuddy wouldn't lie to protect House, but still it might make Cameron feel better.

Chase came back and slunk into his seat, trying to go unnoticed. He was surprised to find Cameron crying. "What'd you do to her?"

"Didn't work out with the Sheila?" Foreman needed a change of subject, so he went out and got one.

"She was a guy." Chase mumbled it so quietly it almost escaped Foreman's notice. It didn't escape Cameron's however, and in desperate need of a good laugh, she was grateful for the news.

She started laughing through her tears. "You hit on a guy?"

It was finally Friday. House walked briskly down the hall mumbling something under his breath and bobbing his head. A couple of interns were headed toward him. Seeing House, they stopped for a moment. One whispered something into the others ear and they scurried past him, staying as close to the wall and as far from House as possible. They watched him as if they expected him to jump at them at any moment. Once they were past him, they seemed to break into a run.

House shook his head. He was oblivious to the gossip going around. His mind had been busy with other things, so he didn't know the reason behind their nervousness. He didn't know that he was the poster boy for lechery at PPTH.

House walked into his office, not noticing anything, or anyone around him. Without warning he opened his mouth and burst out at the top of his lungs, "Won't get fooled again," and started playing air guitar.

Dr. Cameron, who had been putting the mail on his desk, jumped about three feet, and the mail flew everywhere.

Startled, House pulled the earbuds out of his ears. "Dropped something." He thought he was being helpful by pointing to the mess of papers on the floor, but Cameron looked like she very much didn't want his help.

"How can you be so flippant?" She still had a headache from the night before, but she had to get this out in the open.

"Did I do something?" House had thought his Cameron drama was over, apparently not.

Cameron looked like she was trying to stay calm. Her face remained unchanged, but her voice had gotten higher, and angrier. "Haven't you heard all the talking? Haven't you seen how people are looking at you?"

"I'm a god among men, of course people will stare. Who can blame then." House did a little twist to show her his fine physique.

"Do you take anything seriously?" Cameron was loosing patience.

"Do you ever smile?" House wasn't exactly busting with patience himself.

Cameron had had enough. She walked out. House didn't follow her. He welcomed the peace and quiet. It wasn't long before the revolving door that seemed to be his office spun once again, and this time Wilson walked in.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?" Wilson asked as he walked.

"Did Cuddy read what I wrote about her on the men's room wall again? I told her to stay out of there." House finally sat down.

"You really have no clue, do you?" Wilson was surprised House could manage to stay so far out of the loop that he didn't even know when he was the center of a scandal.

"OK, Vanna, can I buy a vowel?"

"You want a vowel, how about u." Wilson was really in no mood to play games, but he also wasn't in the mood to tell House what was going on. He kind of thought he wouldn't have to.

"I think I'll spin."

"U R Being…"

"Being isn't a letter."

"You're being sued, House."

"Again? I thought you were going to tell me something interesting." House picked up a magazine and started flipping through it.

"Fine, let's see how this tickles your fancy. An intern says you sexually harassed her."

"Is she cute?"

"I don't know if she's cute, but I do know she is going to get you fired." Wilson knew House well, and should have been used to this sort of flippant reaction from his friend, but is still unsettled him every time.

"Better get working on my resume." He looked at Wilson pointedly. Wilson wasn't moving. "Do you mind?" He motioned Wilson to leave, which he did, but not before giving House a long, loud sign of exasperation.

House sat in silence after Wilson left. This was unexpected. He racked his brain trying to think of what he had done to prompt this. It wasn't the first time some silly young thing had misunderstood his humor. It wouldn't be the last. But Cuddy always cut it off before words like sue started getting bandied about. Why hadn't Cuddy stopped it this time? Did she believe this one? She couldn't.

House pulled out a copy of his resume just in case. It was terribly out of date. He really didn't like the font he'd used, and that wasn't even his address anymore. He sighed and threw the copy in the trash. Getting a new job was just such a hassle. He'd have to find a way to keep this one.

House avoided leaving his office for the rest of the day, and was relieved that no one came looking for him. He went home nearly forgetting about his date with Cuddy. It wasn't until Wilson showed up to get him ready that he remembered what tonight was.

"She likes you in blue. Wear this." Wilson pulled a nice blue shirt out of House's closet, and tried to find a tie to match.

"I'm not wearing a tie." House looked disgusted as Wilson gave up the search and pulled a nice navy blue tie out of his pocket.

"I thought you wouldn't have anything good so I brought this just in case." He handed the tie to House.

"I don't want it." House refused to take if from Wilson.

"What is Cuddy going to think if you can't even put on a tie for her?"

"I don't care. She…" he didn't want to say the words.

"She what?" Wilson wanted to hear them, so he asked.

"She doesn't love me. How could she?"

"Why would you say that?"

"She isn't stopping that suit, is she?" Everything had gotten so out of hand. House didn't like this feeling. He felt like he'd fallen down the rabbit hole and nothing was what it seemed anymore. Ever since Stacy got here, things had gone wrong.

"Maybe she can't. Did you think of that? Maybe she tried, maybe she doesn't know about it yet; maybe she already took care of it. House, there's no point in worrying about it. Just talk to her tonight. Just chill out." It was so unlike Wilson to tell House to chill out that it diffused the tension in the air.

"Do you really think she'll like the tie?" House held it up to his neck, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

"She'll love it. Now hurry up or you'll be late."

House arrived at Cuddy's door with just a minute to spare. To his surprise, she came out the door before he'd had a chance to get out of the car. "Hi." She walked over to him, and kissed him on the cheek.

She looked beautiful. She was wearing a knee length, low cut navy blue dress, not the typical black dress of a woman who just wants to fit in. Her hair was pulled back and piled on top of her head. House didn't much like it. He liked her hair down, with that little bit of curl at the ends. She wore a sapphire necklace that brought out the blue in their eyes. House wondered if Wilson had consulted them both as they got ready. They matched perfectly.

"You look nice." She smiled at him as he opened the car door for her.

"So do you." This was so awkward. They were both on their best behavior. He felt like he was in high school. At least he knew he would get lucky, so that was one less thing to worry about.

House had put the top down on his convertible, not expecting Cuddy to have her hair up. "I can put up the roof," he said reluctantly. It was such a nice night it would really be a shame.

"Don't bother. Just give me a minute." She turned the rear view mirror so she could see it, and started removing pins from her hair. "It's not great, but it will do," she said of her now down hair.

"I like it down." House spoke so softly he thought she couldn't hear him, but she did, and she bit her lip to keep from grinning.

House started the car and drove it down the street. Whenever he hand wasn't on the gear shift, it was tugging at his tie. He really hated the damn things. What purpose did they serve anyway?

"Take it off if it's bothering you that much." He was surprised by Cuddy's voice. They hadn't been speaking during the short ride to the restaurant, both lost in the enjoyment of the cool night air, so her voice came as something of a shock.

"It's fine." He was trying to make a good impression. He made a mental note to stop pulling at his tie. He shouldn't have bothered. With a heavy sign, Cuddy reached out and untied the tie, slipping it off his neck and tossing it on the floor. "Hey, that's Wilson's tie." House protested.

"Oh." She picked it up, folded it neatly and put it in the glove box.

"Oh, so if it's mine you toss it on the floor, but if it's Wilson's you treat it like a delicate flower. Nice." He pulled his eyes back to the road as he heard a horn behind him.

The Black Pearl was a fairly new restaurant, and therefore packed. House was glad that Wilson had made reservations for them. As it was, they had to wait ten minutes for their table. It was worth the wait. The table overlooked the marina, the lights dancing off the water, and the boats swaying rhythmically in the breeze that came in through the open window.

"House, as much as I would love to pretend that everything is fine and this is just a nice, romantic dinner, I think we need to…" House cut her off.

"Don't say it! Don't say those dreaded words." House had spoken so loudly that several heads turned in their direction, and Cuddy sunk down in her seat.

"Just because I don't say it doesn't mean we aren't going to talk." House cringed as she said the last word.

"Aw, you said it." House stuffed some Asian fusion into his mouth. It really wasn't all that bad. It was just fancy Chinese food from what he could see.

"An official complaint has been sent to Dean Stanton. This is serious."

"Why does everyone feel the need to remind me that this is serious? Am I an idiot? I can see this is serious. I'm crippled, I'm not blind." He was sick of this whole mess, and just wanted it to go away. He was tired.

Cuddy had no answer. She didn't know why everyone was reminding him, or even who everyone was. She knew why she was telling him this was serious. She was seriously scared. She didn't want to loose him.

"So, what are we going to do about it?" House didn't have a plan; he was hoping that Cuddy had one.

"The only thing we can do is buy some extra time."

"And how do we do that? Run down to the time store and throw down some cash?"

"Yeah, that's exactly how." Cuddy rolled her eyes. They were done with their meal and the waitress just arrived for their dessert order. House started to open his mouth to order, but Cuddy stopped him by telling the waitress they weren't having dessert this evening. House looked crestfallen.

"What's the rush? Can't keep your hands off me can you?" Even though he made the funny remark, he wasn't feeling all that humorous, and it fell flat.

"We have something more important to do." She was acting very mysteriously. House kinda liked it. What did she have up her sleeve?

House paid the bill and they walked to the car. House was bombarding Cuddy with questions about her mysterious plans, but she kept brushing him off with a non-committal, "you'll see."


End file.
